Still Waters 3: Meet the New Class
by RedPBass
Summary: Curious about Still Waters 3 but having trouble identifying the characters? Worry no more! Each character has her own chapter here so you can get to know them better. All genres, ratings. Contains OCs. Most recent: Students 26 through 29.
1. Meet the New Class Introduction

**Meet the New Class – Introduction**

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><p>Negi sat comfortably at a table in one of the buildings in Eva's resort, going over his class roster and making notes here and there. It was a hard job, being a teacher; every year there were new faces and names to memorize, and many students got lost in the shuffle. He had always done his best to know all of the students he taught by name and face, but it wasn't easy at times.<p>

"Aniki! I've got my report!"

Negi smiled as he looked up at Kamo, who scurried up onto the table, waving a notebook. "Thank you, Kamo-kun," he said as he took the notebook and flipped through a few pages. He paused after a moment, frowning. "The format's different this year...will you explain it?"

Kamo smirked and crossed his arms. "Fufufu, but of course! This one is based more on my original version, back when you first arrived in Japan. As you can see, I've done away with all that interaction-with-other-students nonsense and cut it back to the bare essentials for easier reading! As you can see, there are six types of love, each with rankings from zero to twenty! Zero means no feelings of that sort, twenty means overwhelming feelings! Yes, I've really done my research this time, haven't I? I think it's high time I got a raise, in fact-"

Negi politely ignored the talking ermine as he all but patted himself on the back in favor of scanning through the notebook. Some of the numbers were definitely surprising; he had only been in charge of this class for a short time, and yet some of them already had feelings so deep...! He sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had a feeling this class was going to be almost as bad as his first one.

"Hey aniki, are you even listening to me? Hey!"

"Negi-kun~!" Haruna called out as she bounced into the room, holding a thick stack of folders to her chest. "Negi-kun! I got the reports you wanted~ Oh, hi Kamocchi! Beat me here, didn't you?"

Kamo smirked at her and started to speak, but Negi interrupted before the two of them could get in a contest of one-upping each other like they usually did at the start of a new school year. "Hello Haruna-san. How did it go? It wasn't too much trouble, was it?"

Haruna smirked as she dropped the heavy stack of reports on Negi's desk. "Trouble? For me? Ha! No, it wasn't any trouble at all, not for someone of my skills~"

Negi smiled at his ex-student's antics. Haruna had become so joyful now that she was out of high school...

"Anyway," Kamo said as he flipped open the first folder and began scanning through the information it contained. "You added some parameters this year, didn't you?"

Haruna grinned in a superior manner. "Indeed I have! I have included stats from the mental realm to the physical, and even gave them unique measuring methods! Would you like a quick explanation?"

"Looks like the usual," Negi said, leafing through the pages in one of the folders. "I see Friendliness, Courage, Attractiveness, Intelli—wait, attractiveness?"

"Huhuhu," Haruna said, adjusting her glasses so the light reflected from them. "I have taken such vital information as their measurements, body type, skin condition, facial structure, and even eye shape and used my vast resources to calculate their true beauty and reduce it into a number ranging from one to twenty...! Of course, being beauty, and _your_ usual sort of students, it's more like Zero or One is plain and Twenty is drop dead gorgeous, so yeah...but anyway!" she said, pointing up at the sky. "In general for the different stats, Zero is bad, Ten is average, and Twenty is perfect! Just..." she said, trailing off. "...well, most of the time. Sometimes. A couple times, maybe? I had a small reference pool to work from, so average is actually just average within the few hundred people I got stats from. Or something."

"Or something, yes," Negi said dryly. "So what you're saying is that these numbers are useless?"

"No, they're not useless! They give you a vital understanding of your students' personalities and physical capabilities! Maybe. Possibly." She slumped a little. "I spent all night on this and I'm on a caffeine high right now...I feel like I could crash at any moment."

"...so they're useless," Kamo said.

Haruna slumped further. "Yeah, pretty much."

Kamo sighed and patted her on the arm. "There there, it's okay, I'm sure you'll do better next time."

"I know! I tried so hard to make them relevant, but I just couldn't do it! I'm sorry!" Haruna paused, frozen in the act of tearing her hair out as she stared up at the ceiling. She held that pose for a long five count, then abruptly let go and looked at Negi and Kamo. "Okay, was that as weird as I thought it was? Because if it was, I think I need to go and lie down now."

Negi and Kamo looked at each other and nodded.

Haruna nodded in return and straightened her glasses. "I thought so." She walked over to the couch on the other side of the room and collapsed into it bonelessly, already snoring.

Kamo shook his head. "Poor Paru-nee-san; she's always overworking herself."

Negi nodded as he stood up and walked over to a nearby cupboard. "What do you think of her reports, Kamo-kun?" he asked as he opened it and pulled out a blanket.

Kamo riffled through the first report. "Hmm...they _are_ pretty useless in this format, but I guess they're good for comparing the students to each other and your old classes, at least."

Negi grunted in response as he spread the blanket over Haruna, careful to stay as far out of her reach as he could; Haruna had a well-earned reputation for being grabby in her sleep, as all of her former roommates and several unfortunate bus and train passengers could attest.

"She did her best, though. Come on, let's move to another room and let her rest; I want to look at these as soon as I can."

"Sure thing, aniki," Kamo said as he gathered the folders together.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Okay, you guys have asked for it, and here it is: a chance to get to know the new class better. Or at least well enough to tell them apart, in any case.

Each chapter will consist of a short story of some type, illustrating some aspect of that particular character. Most are only a few pages long, with a few being only a page or two and a few more reaching five or six pages in length. Genres range from slice of life to action to horror and almost everything in between, but most are just snapshots of a part of that character's life. At the end of most chapters, you will find some basic information about the character, as well as two charts, one being Kamo's Negi Love Chart, and the other Haruna's Stat Chart.

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><p>Kamo's Negi Love chart is much like the one seen several times in the manga, with stats for Motherly, Sisterly, Friendship, Crush, Love, and H.<p>

Motherly - Refers to protective, motherly feelings the character may have for Negi

Sisterly - Refers to good natured playful/antagonistic, sisterly feelings the character may have for Negi

Friendship - Refers to how much the character wants to be friends with Negi

Crush - Refers to the typical raging teenage crush

Love - Refers to the slow building but tremendously powerful ~True Love~

H - Refers to, well, 'ecchi thoughts'...take that as you will. It measures more a girl's propensity for dirty thoughts than dirty thoughts about Negi in particular. A 20 in this is someone who's constantly thinking such things, though what a girl actually considers to be dirty thoughts must be taken into account too.

At the end of Kamo's chart will be Kamo's advice to Negi about dealing with the character. Of course, what with Kamo being Kamo...

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><p>Haruna's Stat Chart includes stats for:<p>

Friendliness – how friendly the character is with people they know

Courage – How brave a character is. 0 is someone who will run screaming at the slightest sound, 10 is someone who is scared but will generally not run away and hide, and 20 is someone who will stand up to a dragon unarmed if necessary. This stat is more of an Average type of thing and should not be considered a hard statement of what a character will do, since someone capable of standing up to a dragon might be terrified of standing up in front of a crowd to make a speech

Attractiveness – a conglomeration of all aspects of beauty/cuteness/physical appearance. Childish cuteness, moe-ness, classical beauty, sexiness, it's all mashed together into this stat.

Intelligence – 0 is flat out stupid, 20 is someone who gets all A's regularly and works on scientific advancements for fun.

Athleticism – 0 is typical student who acts lazy in P.E., 10 is someone who is in pretty good shape and doesn't have much of a problem with P.E. things, 20 is someone who is on par with a professional athlete at the very least.

Instincts – a person's first instincts when something happens; someone who locks up and stares blankly at a car speeding toward them is low, while someone who takes a different path before they even reach the area and stays far away is high. Of course it's not as easy as that, this is only a guide.

Anger - how bad of a temper someone has; 0 is someone who never gets angry, 10 is someone who's usually calm but has their moments of anger, 20 is someone who has to hold their temper back almost constantly

Loner – how much time the person prefers to spend alone as opposed to in a crowd—as it is only the character's preference, it may not reflect actual time spent alone

Outgoing – how talkative the character is with people in general

Popularity – how popular a character is, obviously. 0 is someone who no one knows, recognizes, cares about, or whom everyone dislikes, 10 is someone who's generally recognized and considered friendly, and 20 is someone that people constantly greet by name and has a ton of friends

In addition to these stats, there is also a section labeled Attributes, where some basic aspects of the character are listed, as well as Haruna's opinion of the character in question.

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><p>In addition to the charts, you will find comments about the character from others the character has interacted with in the past. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to review or send a pm!<p> 


	2. MTNC 1 Aisaka Sayo

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 01 – Aisaka Sayo**

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><p>1) When Kazumi left after graduation to go to study in Tokyo for a year, Sayo was left all alone. Unable to leave the campus, she waited for days at the train station, inconsolable. It wasn't until Sakai Reiko, perhaps the most powerful medium on campus, smacked her upside the head and told her to quit acting pitiful that Sayo finally snapped out of it.<p>

2) Life with Reiko wasn't unlike life with Kazumi, though Reiko was far more sarcastic and worlds more fatalistic. The girl's depressing outlook on life was quite distressing for poor Sayo, but mediums were rare, even in Mahora, and the thought of going back to a life of being unseen and ignored was too much to bear.

3) The first time Sayo realized she had power was when she stumbled upon a great, dark mass of negativity simply sitting in the middle of the sidewalk one day in early summer, perhaps a week after Reiko had gotten her from the train station. Normally in such a situation, she would have run to get Kazumi, who would then exorcise the negative spirit; but Kazumi was gone, and she did not yet know the limits of Reiko's ability. She was too worried about the innocent people walking around to just let the spirit sit there, so...she pushed up her shirt sleeves and confronted it. It refused to listen and attempted to devour her, so she hit it with a wild, flailing punch that barely even connected. That was all it took to dissipate the negative spirit.

4) Sayo didn't mind doing research, she just wished she could reliably touch physical objects. There was no use going to library island to do research on the exorcism of evil spirits if she couldn't even take a book down off the shelf, after all. Initial experiments with Reiko's permission quickly showed her that temporary possession was NOT the answer; it was really gross being in someone else's body, and it took too much out of the other person, too. It wasn't long before Reiko suggested using a mannequin instead. A little conversation between the library head and Reiko and a few magic circles carved into a wooden mannequin was all it took to allow Sayo to wander around in the closed off sections in her new temporary body, unexpectedly creating a terrifying ghost story for the library in the process.

5) Spirits and ghosts were two separate things, Sayo discovered with tremendous relief. Even better, spirits were mindless things born of strong emotions or excess power leaked from, well, anything at all. Power built up, bound itself together, and eventually came across a strong emotion, and that was how you made an evil spirit. She was so happy to find out that she hadn't been killing people that she must have cried for half a day.

6) Sayo's first spirit hunt without Reiko leading was a great success; she quickly learned that trying hard enough meant that she could fling a wave of power at an evil spirit that would blast right through it, like something out of a shounen anime. Some more experimentation while Reiko was at school showed Sayo that she could focus that wave so it would cut rather than explode on contact. More experimentation allowed her to discover still more ways to use her power. It was only a week later that Reiko felt something tickling the back of her mind during class, and asked to be excused to go to the nurse's room. She was almost at Sayo's location out in the city when she heard the ghost bellow out "Kamehameha!" and a massive beam of orange energy shot out into the sky. Sayo giggled for a solid _week_ after that incident.

7) Sayo did what she could to clear evil spirits, but she couldn't be everywhere at once and she wasn't comfortable facing any ghosts who had taken up haunting. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she did, she might end up doing something she'd regret for the rest of her unlife.

8) Sayo had a ghost fan club. Nothing official, of course, but often she would turn around out on the street only to find half a dozen young ghosts trying to hide behind things so she wouldn't see them. It was cute, she decided the third time it happened.

9) Sayo knew she had power, but she didn't realize just how much power she had until a necromancer arrived in Mahora and secretly unleashed an army of evil spirits to wear down everyone's good feelings. It was like a villain's plot out of some cartoon, she thought, but something had to be done, so she went out to do it. With the living people weakened so badly by the bad feelings overwhelming Mahora, she went out and gathered up every nice ghost she could find, and even a few of the not-so-nice variety who didn't appreciate some necromancer coming around and messing things up in their city. Even the most powerful of these could barely handle more than a few evil spirits. Sayo, alone, obliterated two hundred and thirty eight with relative ease, the equivalent of a human taking an invigorating jog on a cold morning. When the necromancer trapped her in a special magic circle designed to capture and hold even the most powerful of ghosts, she simply battered her way out of it, went up to the necromancer, who, she noted, had wet his pants, put on her best pouting lecture-face, told him about the error of his ways, and flicked him on the forehead. He fainted on the spot, and was still there when the authorities arrived.

10) When Kazumi returned, Sayo wasn't sure what to do. Reiko told her to do what she wanted, but Sayo knew Reiko would struggle with her almost constant exorcism requests if she simply abandoned her to go back to Kazumi. But Kazumi, on the other hand, was the first girl to be able to see her in _decades_; Kazumi was fun to be around, Kazumi loved to play with her, and Kazumi really liked her too, but...Kazumi had grown tremendously powerful during her time away. She shined in Sayo's eyes, and Sayo couldn't help but feel overwhelmed in her presence. Unable to choose between the two, Sayo chose to choose both. Reiko was frail, she desperately needed Sayo's support. Kazumi was strong, but she needed Sayo's friendship. Sayo really liked both of them, but they didn't seem to get along too well. Kazumi said Reiko was too harsh and cruel; Reiko said Kazumi was too soft and forgiving. Separately, they were incredibly powerful; together, the two of them could make even the most powerful evil ghost flee screaming in terror. Sayo really liked both of them, and found their petty squabbles to be amusing; what she found more amusing, however, was the way both of them looked away sheepishly when she pouted at them.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>: Sayo! She's still around, still doing ghost-y things. She's still the same, even though everyone else is growing up.

**Aisaka Sayo**

Born - ?

Height - 4'10"

Likes: Violin music, peaceful people

Dislikes: being lonely

Roommate: N/A

Little Known Facts: She has been 'sleeping' in Abe Aiko and Yamamoto Kimi's dorm room for quite some time, as she finds their quiet, peaceful interaction pleasant and refreshing.

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><p><strong><span>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<span>**

Motherly - 4

Sisterly - 10

Friendship - 16

Crush - 3

Love - 1

H - 8

Kamo's Comments: "Ahh, Sayo-chin. Still as cute as ever."


	3. MTNC 2 Yamamoto Kimi

_Note: The latter part of this chapter takes place in June, after the Intruder arc._**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 02 – Yamamoto Kimi<strong>

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><p>After the funeral, Kimi went into a sort of daze, mechanically answering questions and speaking to strangers about her mother's luckily meager debts. For two weeks she ran on auto pilot, going through the motions of living while her mind retreated to a dark, safe place in order to allow her to avoid the insanity of a world in which her mother was dead. She knew in a detached, logical sort of way that it was all true; her mother wouldn't be lying in her futon in her sickroom, no matter how many times Kimi brought in a bowl of her favorite ramen. Her mother would no longer wake her up in the night with her coughing, her mother would no longer need to be helped down the hall to the bathroom.<p>

Yamamoto Kimi's mother was dead.

Her long sickness had finally caught up with her, and she had gone on ahead, leaving Kimi behind. Her last words to Kimi hadn't been the sort of thing Kimi had hoped they would be, either. Her mother had simply coughed up blood, mumbled something about how her chest hurt, and had gone back to sleep. That had been it. She had died some time in the night, and Kimi had woken up the next morning to a dreadful silence. She knew as soon as she had woken up what had happened, but even though tears began to fall immediately, she hadn't had the nerve to look into her mother's sickroom to verify what she already knew. In the end, she had knocked on the door of the apartment next to hers. When a pleasant, somewhat fat older woman answered the door, Kimi had managed perhaps two words before bursting into tears. Ultimate, the neighbor's husband had gone over to check, and he had confirmed the truth. After that, everything had become a blur to her. The police came and asked some questions she couldn't recall answering, and then some people came and took the body away. Kimi couldn't bear to stay in the apartment, but she didn't have any relatives either; her father had died before she was born, and she didn't even know if she had any aunts or uncles. She stayed with the neighbors until the funeral, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever. The apartment had been paid off until the end of the year, so she reluctantly moved back in.

Her mother's possessions went to pay off the debt collectors, all but her mother's swords. Her mother had possessed several blades of exquisite workmanship, blades that would have easily fetched thousands, perhaps as much as a quarter million US dollars in the proper market, but Kimi couldn't bear to part with them. They were of varying styles and lengths, thought the best was by far the oversized katana that had been her mother's treasure.

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><p>Perhaps three weeks after the funeral, a strange man showed up, claiming to have known her mother. She had been understandably wary; she had been warned that 'relatives' might arrive, claiming to be the proper owner of her mother's valuable swords. This man, however, had shown little interest in the old blades beyond a quick glance. He introduced himself as Konoe Eishun, and said he had known her mother, that she had worked for him at one time until an incident had forced her to go into hiding; 'something about the yakuza, probably,' Kimi had thought bitterly at the time. She had politely pretended to listen to him while her mind drifted back into its protective hole, until a young woman poked her head into the room and looked around. The woman was very pretty; long shiny hair framed a pleasantly smiling face, and even Kimi, at her young age, could tell she had a nice body. The man had sighed and rolled his eyes, then introduced her as his daughter. She, too, claimed to have known Kimi's mother in her childhood, and even to have been protected by her at one point. It wasn't long before the woman spotted her mother's swords and grew very quiet. After a moment, she sat down beside Kimi, brushed her hair out of her face, and hugged her.<p>

For the first time since her mother's death, someone showed true compassion and worry for her; sure, her neighbors had been concerned, but what they had shown was similar to the emotion one shows to an abandoned kitten or some other pitiful creature. This was different, more real. The woman sent her father away and simply sat there with her in the silence of her apartment.

For the first time since waking up to find her mother dead, Kimi had cried. She had cried and cried and cried, and somehow, when it was all over and she woke up with her head in the woman's lap while she hummed a simple tune, she felt as if, just maybe, everything might turn out all right.

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><p>They stayed with her for a short time, doing more to help her recover from her loss than anyone else could have, until the man, Konoe Eishun, had suggested a boarding school for her to attend. Kimi had wanted to refuse of course; how could she take money from these kind people? But the man's daughter, Konoka, had pouted fiercely at her until she relented. They had packed her up and sent her off, and that had been that.<p>

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><p>And now, after two years, Kimi was going to pay a visit to the headmaster. Time had passed, she had healed. She was ready.<p>

The headmaster asked if she was sure, and she said she was. He had given her a long, hard look, noting the fire in her eyes, the confidence with which she carried herself, and how very much she resembled her mother. He snorted in amusement and removed a huge key ring from his desk. He unlocked a door at the side of the room and pulled it open, and motioned for her to follow.

Inside, Kimi had been shocked to find a long hallway lined with massive safes built into the walls. He led her halfway down before pausing in front of a safe bearing a small plaque with 'Yamamoto' etched into it. He removed a key from the keyring and passed it to her, and Kimi stood for a moment before the safe, key in hand. Opening that safe would fix her path in place. She glanced up at the headmaster, who nodded to her, then back at the key in her hand. She grinned slightly and unlocked the safe.

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><p>Kimi returned to the dorm room she shared with Abe Aiko.<p>

"Hey, where were you earlier?" Aiko said as she sat up on her bunk. "You skipped out on training!"

"I had something more important to do," Kimi said as she knelt down on the floor and untied the wrapped bundle she carried. Aiko leaned forward to look, and Kimi let her. This was important, after all. She unrolled the cloth, revealing several sheathed blades of varying length and style.

"Whoa, where did you get those?"

"They belonged to my mother," Kimi said, smiling as she carefully picked up the largest, an oversized katana with a grayish-white sheath with a dragon motif worked in what looked like silver. "It's mine, now."

Aiko looked at the intricately worked sheath. "Wow, that's pretty...can you pull it out? It's not cursed to kill someone whenever it's pulled from it's sheath or anything like that, right?"

"I don't think so," Kimi said seriously as she drew the sword.

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><p><strong><span>Yamamoto Kimi<span>**

Born - 8/2/1994

Height - 5'

Library Club

Likes – cats, peace and quiet

Dislikes – noisy, irritating people

Roommate – Abe Aiko, Aisaka Sayo

Little Known Facts – She has low blood pressure and takes forever to wake up in the mornings.

Close Friends: Abe Aiko

Enemies: None

Titles: Student Number 2

**Notes**: Kimi started out as a character about seven or eight years ago for something else I was working on; she was one of the first characters adapted to this story as the first of the new class's many new students. The time period she was created for may be different, but her serious, quiet personality has barely changed. Physically, she's short, plain, and doesn't stick out in a crowd except for the sword case she often carries. She has brown eyes and very long shiny black hair that she pulls back in a ponytail that, for some people, is reminiscent of a long haired samurai. Kimi herself hasn't seemed to notice.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 8 (Preparations)

**Kamo's Negi Love Chart**

Motherly - 13

Sisterly - 8

Friendship - 4

Crush - 5

Love - 1

H - 8

Kamo's Comments: "Wow, this one's got a real mother complex about you, aniki. Too bad. Then again, she's surprisingly pervy..."

**Haruna's Stat Chart**

Friendliness - 15

Courage - 20

Attractiveness – 4

Intelligence - 12

Athleticism - 12

Instincts - 18

Anger – 2

Loner - 19

Outgoing - 4

Popularity – 8

Attributes – Samurai girl, distant, tragic past, independent, flat chested, long hair

Haruna's Comments: "Looks like she'd be a strong ally, but she's no fun at all. She's friendly enough if you talk to her I guess, but distant."

**Comments from the Rest**

Sakurazaki Setsuna: "She's a good girl; she's skilled with a blade, too. She will make a fine warrior some day."

Kagurazaka Asuna: "She's a good kid. If I ever catch you trying to make a move on her..." *glare*

Konoe Konoka: "I knew her mother when I was younger. I have high hopes for Kimi-chan!" *happy smile*


	4. MTNC 3 Abe Aiko

**Meet the New Class - Student Number 03 – Abe Aiko**

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><p>"Oi, Chachamaru!"<p>

Eva's voice echoed crazily through the halls of her castle, down the main hall, and into the library, where Chachamaru was seated with her eyes closed, a USB cable running from what most of her previous classmates had thought were simply unusually large hair decorations to a printer, which buzzed with activity as page after page emerged from the machine.

"Chachamaru!"

The last sheet done, the printer beeped to indicate it had finished its task. Chachamaru opened her eyes and turned off the printer, then disconnected the USB cable.

"Cha...cha...ma...ruuuuu!"

"Just a moment, Master," she called out as she gathered the stack of papers and quickly sorted them. Master had asked her for this report several days ago, but it had taken an uncharacteristically large amount of time to uncover any useful information on the subject...Chachamaru was quite troubled by this. Perhaps it was time for an upgrade? She created a note reminding her to see Hakase tomorrow after school and filed it in her 'To Do—Important' folder.

"Hey! Chachamaru!"

She sighed, perhaps her favorite action from Hakase's old Gestures Pack 1.0, one of the first expansions the mad scientist had installed when she had been created, and stapled the stack of reports.

"Chachamaru! If you don't answer me right now I'll sell you off for scrap metal!"

"Coming, Master," Chachamaru replied as she slipped the stack of reports into a folder and held it up to her chest. She exited the library and made her way to the great hall, where she found Eva lying halfway on the table watching a small television set, which was currently showing an old episode of Sailor Moon.

"I have the reports you requested, Master," Chachamaru said pleasantly as she approached the table. She added a smile at the end; this particular smile was designed to show mild amusement at a silly child's antics, and had been added recently in the updated Gestures Pack 8.24, which had been installed only three days earlier. Eva was not impressed.

"Ugh, wipe that disgusting smile off your face," Eva said as she sat up. "Are those the reports I wanted?"

Chachamaru nodded (Gestures Pack 1.3) and carefully passed the thick folder to Eva, who raised an eyebrow as she eyed it.

"...awfully thick, isn't it?" she asked.

Chachamaru shrugged (Gestures Pack 3.78). "I have included details on all aspects of their normal lives up until the time of information collection."

"Yeah..." Eva said as she flipped over the folder and removed the report on the top of the stack, made up of some thirty-odd sheets of paper covered in small type. The cover sheet showed a picture of a dense-looking girl with an annoyingly pleasant smile, along with some basic information. "Abe Aiko, born February 22, 1995, current height 4'10", blood type, blah blah blah..." She flipped to the next page and scanned it for a moment. She sweatdropped. "Hey, Chachamaru."

Chachamaru looked up from the 7x7x7 Rubik's Cube variant she was in the process of solving. "Yes, Master?"

Eva gave her a blank stare. "When I said to 'get everything you can find' on them, I didn't mean _everything_. What am I supposed to do with this?" she said, holding up the report and smacking it with her free hand. "I couldn't care less where she was born or that she had a pet frog when she was three!"

"My apologies, Master," Chachamaru said, lowering her head and closing her eyes in shame (Gestures Pack 7.33).

"Stop that! Just give me the relevant information," Eva said irritably as she tossed the report onto the table and sat back in her chair.

"Yes, Master."

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><p>Abe Aiko had been born in Kyoto in the early days of 1995, the only child of the only son of the current head of the Seimei Shrine. Due to difficulties in her birth, her mother was rendered unable to bear any more children and, as such, Aiko was destined to take over as head of the Seimei Shrine in the future. It was all fairly normal, as far as that sort of thing goes.<p>

Except for the Oni.

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><p>The Abe clan had employed the Oni as servants for over a thousand years, ever since the tradition was started by Abe no Seimei in his youth. Initially they were seen as powerful allies, but as time wore on they came to be seen more and more as tools and finally as something less than human, a sort of intelligent beast bound by magical seals to follow orders.<p>

The Oni, needless to say, were not pleased. And so, in early April of the year 1620, they revolted.

It was a disaster for all concerned.

The so called 'Oni War' lasted about a week, during which Kyoto burned to the ground and chaos reigned supreme. Humans and Oni alike were slaughtered like livestock, and it took the Youkai Queen herself, heavy with child, making an appearance to stop the fighting. As the traditional intermediary between the Oni and the Humans, she swept through the city and all cowered before her rage, and the instigators of the carnage, Human and Oni alike, were shamed before her.

The Abe clan was bound by decree to more charitable use of their Oni servants, and the Oni were bound to remember the terrible costs of their rebellion, and eventually the situation returned to the image of normality. It was only an image, however; the Oni were mistrustful of the Abe clan now, and the Abe clan held much the same opinion of the Oni. Tensions occasionally threatened to boil over, but cooler heads prevailed until the Second Oni War erupted in the early 1700s. With the Youkai Queen's disappearance after the First Oni War almost a century earlier, there was no one to make peace between Humans and Oni, until a pair of Fox Youkai appeared and put an end to the fighting with the aid of the Abe clan. However, there was evidence that the whole situation had been instigated by the Fox Youkai, and the Abe clan agreed. The Shinmeiryu were called in and one of the guilty Fox Youkai was captured and imprisoned; the other had already disappeared. The Abe clan, under pressure to keep the Oni from rebelling again, gathered the remaining Oni in Kyoto and bound them all in service with powerful magic, and decreed that all Oni born in Kyoto would be similarly bound upon reaching their tenth birthday. Never again would the Oni rebel, no matter how greatly they would grow to resent the clan that had bound them to slavery.

Time moved on and the Abe clan's fortunes turned bad; they lost influence and land, and the line was in real danger of dying out when Abe Aiko was born in 1995. There would have been little reason for the clan as a whole to worry over the birth of a baby girl, however, except for two things: the birthmark, and the almost fanatical devotion she inspired in the previously unpleasant oni servants from the moment she was born.

In the center of Abe Aiko's chest, almost exactly where one might expect to find the Anahata Chakra, was a distinctive birthmark, in a very particular shape. The shape might have been recognized by the uninitiated as a pentagram, though the few in the clan who were aware of the birthmark recognized it as the Doman Seiman, or the Seal of Abe no Seimei, a powerful symbol commonly used in the clan's secret arts and by wannabe witches and magicians the world over. No one knew why it had appeared on the newborn child, and it was decided that its existence should be kept secret.

* * *

><p>"Wait a minute," Eva said as she held up her hand and sat up straighter in her chair. "Do you have a picture of that birthmark?" This sounded interesting...<p>

Chachamaru nodded (Gestures Pack 1.3 again). "Yes Master. I used the upgraded X-Ray vision module Hakase installed three-point-seven-two years ago. Would you like a copy printed?"

Eva took a sip of her red wine and nodded. When Chachamaru had left the room, she allowed herself to smirk. It appeared the choice to enter school again to stave off boredom now that Negi had returned might well have been a good idea. This 'Abe Aiko' seemed interesting already... She picked up the report Chachamaru had left on the table and began skimming through it from the point where the gynoid had left off.

"Oni, blah blah blah...magic...blah blah...wait, here we go," Eva said to herself as she paused on page twelve.

* * *

><p>When Aiko became old enough to walk more than a few steps without falling down, she was assigned an oni servant whose only job was to follow her around and make sure she didn't get hurt. Normally this sort of thing would be considered a cushy job, but unfortunately for Mura, her oni babysitter, Aiko was a bundle of curiosity from day one. Everything was a cause for wonder for the child, from the contents of the secret rooms at the shrine to a mud puddle after a heavy rain, and she rarely showed any restraint when she spotted something-or someone-new. The old oni really had her work cut out for her.<p>

* * *

><p>Eva skipped a few pages.<p>

* * *

><p>On Aiko's ninth birthday, she received her first camera-<p>

* * *

><p>Eva skipped a few more pages.<p>

* * *

><p>-Oni-<p>

* * *

><p>*flip flip*<p>

* * *

><p>-puppy-<p>

* * *

><p>*flip flip flip*<p>

* * *

><p>-death of her parents-<p>

* * *

><p>Eva paused and flipped back a page or two. <em>This<em> looked interesting...

* * *

><p>Just before Aiko's thirteenth birthday, the car her parents and personal oni servant Mura were riding in was hit by a train. Police reports-<p>

* * *

><p>Eva paused there for a moment. This was very unusual...she didn't know anything about the girl's parents, but shouldn't her personal servant have been near her at all times?<p>

"Master, I have the picture you requested," Chachamaru stated as she entered the room.

Eva glanced up at her, then back to the page. "Thanks Chachamaru, put it there," she said, pointing at the tabletop in front of her. She leaned back in the chair and propped her feet up on the edge of the table as she looked at the report thoughtfully.

"Master, you should not do that when wearing your nightgown; your panties are visible," Chachamaru said as she sat down and picked up the Rubik's Cube she had been playing with earlier.

"Shut up, Chachamaru!"

* * *

><p>-reports indicated several suspicious details of the scene, though extensive investigation failed to provide any admissible evidence of foul play. Friends and family members-<p>

* * *

><p>Eva tossed the report aside, leaned back to look at the ceiling, and sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed her forehead. "So let me guess: the remaining family, fearing attack, sends their last remaining heir off to Mahora for her own safety," she said sarcastically.<p>

"Yes, Master," Chachamaru replied, not even bothering to look up from the giant Rubik's Cube. She made two more carefully considered twists, and then placed the completed puzzle toy on the table before her. "She was transferred to Mahora immediately after the funeral of her parents. Several of the oni servants demanded to be sent along with her, but their requests were firmly denied."

"Huh," Eva said for lack of anything better to say. She moved her feet off the table and sat up straight to look at the photo Chachamaru had brought.

"Oi, Chachamaru," she said after a moment.

"Yes, Master?"

"...Since when can you see through people's clothes? And..." she trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hakase installed the proper components several years ago, Master. Did you not know?"

"Huh..." Eva shook her head, then looked sharply at the gynoid. "Have you ever...with the boy..."

Chachamaru quickly looked at a spot on the ceiling on the other side of the room as the artificial skin over her cheeks began to turn a suspicious shade of pinkish red. "

I-do-not-know-what-you-are-talking-about-I-would-never-do-such-a-thing-to-my-respected-teacher-I-must-now-go-to-take-care-of-some-chores-goodbye," she said quickly as she stood up, then gave a quick bow and left the room in a flash of movement, leaving Eva more than a little surprised. She patted down her hair, mussed by the wind of Chachamaru's passage, and looked down thoughtfully at the picture she held in her hand.

In the picture, Abe Aiko was walking along with her friend and roommate Yamamoto Kimi, talking to her with a careless smile on her face, with neither one of them wearing a stitch of clothing due to Chachamaru's specialized camera filter. Aiko's birthmark was plainly visible, and was exactly as described.

"Hmm..." Eva said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin with her free hand. "That's pretty good. I'm going to have to get Hakase to get those pictures of Negi Chachamaru no doubt has during her next checkup...heh...heheh...heheheh..."

As she grinned, a drop of drool appeared at the corner of her mouth, and Negi, outside the resort and miles away, felt a chill run up his spine and a near-irresistible urge to run and hide.

* * *

><p><strong>Abe Aiko<strong>

Born - 2/22/1995

Height - 4'10"

Photography Club

Likes – unusual things, interesting things

Dislikes – things that are too normal, her family history

Roommate – Yamamoto Kimi, Aisaka Sayo

Little Known Facts – Distant relative of Abe no Seimei

Titles: Student Number 3, Future Head of the Abe Clan

Close Friends: Yamamoto Kimi, Kondo Kai

Enemies: None

**Notes**: Aiko was one of the new characters created for SW3 to fill out the class. Initially, she was intended to be the class gossip, taking on the role of Kazumi. While this is still true to an extent, the only real evidence of my early intentions in creating her that are left is her love of photography; the class gossip role is shared between Kobayashi Ayumi, Mochizuki Kagami, and Sasaki Rina now. Her name comes from the famous Abe no Seimei; she is a descendant of him. She has a good sense of style, and likes to appear 'cute' rather than 'pretty', and is often seen wearing a few cute hairclips. Due to her family's wealth she is never short on money, but doesn't like to spend reckelessly either. Physically, Aiko is the shortest one in the class other than Eva, who doesn't count. She is also one of the few students in Negi's class that actually looks her age. She has brown hair and hazel eyes, and you can see a sketch of her in the gallery at my Deviantart account, under the same screenname I use here.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 8 (Preparations)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 1

Sisterly - 0

Friendship - 3

Crush - 13

Love - 8

H - 8

Kamo's Comments: "Uh oh, we have a live one here. Huhuhu..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 18

Courage - 11

Attractiveness - 10

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 6

Instincts - 14

Anger - 12

Loner - 8

Outgoing - 11

Popularity – 12

Attributes – Camera girl, good friend, traditional Japanese beauty

Haruna's Comments: "This one's got a strong bloodline, and she's going to be the head of the family one day. I wonder if she's rich..."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Konoe Konoka: "I understand her, and I will offer her any support she needs." *nods*


	5. MTNC 4 Kobayashi Ayumi

_Note: This chapter takes place in early June, before the Intruder arc._**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 04 – Kobayashi Ayumi<strong>

* * *

><p>'NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa dAdAdAdA nAnAnAdwe ptink ow—wait, what?'<p>

Ayumi jerked her left hand away from her guitar and looked at the snapped string hanging from it, then over at her left hand. '...red? What's that red stuff? Why-'

* * *

><p><em>She unhooked her seatbelt and fell to the roof of the car, sniffling as she looked at the shard of glass embedded in her hand. She turned to her daddy-<em>

* * *

><p>"Oh no, Ayumi! Your hand!" Miyako said frantically as she grabbed some paper towels and rushed over.<p>

Ayumi shied away from her and continued staring at the blood welling up from where the broken guitar string had pierced her skin. "Buh...blood...I-I'm...I'm bleeding, I..."

"Here, Ayumi, let me take your guitar, you don't want to get blood all over it," Kara said, deftly slipping the guitar strap up and over Ayumi's head.

A drop of blood made its way down to the tip of her thumb and fell off, splattering on the floor of their makeshift club room.

* * *

><p><em>Ayumi's eyes teared up as she looked at the cup of juice she had accidentally dropped. "See? Look at this mess! This is all your fault, you spoiled little brat! I swear if you don't straighten up and stop making trouble for me I'm going to-"<em>

* * *

><p>"Ayumi, here," Kai said, taking Ayumi's left arm and holding it steady so Miyako and Kara could try and clean the wound.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Ayumi! You made another mess! I don't know why I even agreed to marry your father; I probably wouldn't have if I had known about <em>you_...!_

* * *

><p>Ayumi allowed Kai to lead her to a chair and sit her down in it. For some reason, she just couldn't take her eyes off the blood pouring out of the top of her hand.<p>

"Ouch, looks like the end of the string poked you," Kara said. "Got you pretty good." Ayumi barely heard her.

* * *

><p><em>Why couldn't <em>you_ have died instead of him? Damn it! Damn _you_! He wouldn't have had that wreck if it wasn't for you!_

* * *

><p>Ayumi tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat and let out a harsh, strangled laugh. "I-I-I'm fine! Really!" she said, her voice strangled and high, watching in morbid fascination as another drop of blood—<em>her<em> blood- slid down the side of her hand.

* * *

><p><em>She remembered the car flipping again, and again, and again, so many times she lost count. Ultimately, she was more stunned at the sheer speed of it all than scared. Then she looked down at her hand and the piece of windshield glass piercing it.<em>

* * *

><p>Blood dripped down, running around the side of her hand before dropping to the floor again as she sat there, entranced. Kara was saying something to her, but she couldn't really hear her.<p>

* * *

><p><em>She hung there by her seatbelt, dangling over the roof of the car, then unhooked it and fell, almost knocking the wind out of her when she landed. "Daddy?" she said hesitantly. "M-my hand hurts...daddy?" She looked at her daddy, who looked like he was trying to stand on his head in the upside down car. He wasn't moving.<em>

* * *

><p>She felt tears start welling up and was so surprised by it that she almost jumped out of the chair Kai had put her in. She realized they were all looking at her, concern written plain in their faces, and her eyes opened even wider.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Her mother had died in childbirth. Her father had died in a wreck. Her father's brother, the only one who had a place nearby, was out of the country and would be for a long time. She had no relatives that could take her in...except for her stepmother. <em>

* * *

><p>She wiped her eyes off with her right hand while Kara expertly cleaned and bandaged her wounded left.<p>

"Never saw one of those snap like that before," Kai said to take everyone's attention away from Ayumi's tears; Ayumi felt like she could have kissed her. "When was the last time you changed the strings?"

* * *

><p>"<em>When was the last time you changed those sheets?" her stepmother demanded. "They need to be washed! What's wrong with you, do you <em>like_ to live like an animal? Maybe that would be cheaper! Cat food is a lot cheaper than what I have to buy to feed _YOU_!"_

* * *

><p>Ayumi looked at her lightly bandaged hand with trepidation. "Are you sure that's enough?" she asked. "It was bleeding a lot..."<p>

Kara glanced at her. "Of course. It was deep, but it was small. As long as you keep it clean and disinfected it should heal up just fine. Oh, and replace that bandaid from time to time; that'll help it heal."

* * *

><p>"<em>You idiot! That's going to bruise and they'll think I abuse you! Thanks a lot you worthless little brat! You'd better hope that heals quick, or I'll give you something to REALLY cry about!"<em>

* * *

><p>Ayumi shook her head to clear it, took a deep breath, and let it out. She didn't have to worry about that woman anymore, not while she was here in Mahora. She flexed her fingers and frowned at the way the movements pulled at the edges of the bandaid. "This'll make it hard to play..."<p>

"We should probably quit for today anyway," Kai said. "The festival's coming up, but we should have plenty of time to practice before then."

"She's right," Kara said. "You should take it easy for a couple days so it heals quick; if you aggravate it it'll take a lot longer."

Miyako nodded worriedly. "Do you need me to walk you back to the dorm?"

Ayumi gave her an incredulous look, and couldn't help but laugh. "What are you, stupid? It's just a little spot on my hand!" She knew she was being mean, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, making it impossible for her to say she'd really appreciate it if Miyako did accompany her. She really, _really_ didn't want to be alone at the moment. She quickly looked away from Miyako's face and saw Kara roll her eyes, and bit off the urge to snap at her as well. Kai just looked bored, but Ayumi had a sneaking suspicion the other girl knew exactly what she was thinking, and for some reason that was even _more_ annoying. She idly looked at her guitar sitting on its stand, and sighed. "I guess the succubus bit me."

Kara just gaped at her, Miyako grinned at the silly joke, apparently recognizing it for the apology it was meant to be, and Kai smirked.

"Pfft, Bwahahaha! Heh, so you really _do_ have a sense of humor, don't you?" Kai asked.

"Of course! How could I have her paint a succubus on my SG and not?" Ayumi said, slinging an arm around Miyako's neck and shooting her a small, secretive smile. Miyako spotted it before it disappeared and smiled back, and Ayumi looked away. 'Good, apology delivered. Now...' She shook her head to clear it of any lingering thoughts of that horrible woman her father had married; she mentally thanked her father's brother for suggesting Mahora to her stepmother. If he hadn't shown up when he had and all but sent Ayumi away himself, she was sure she would have gone insane by this point. She turned to the others. "Now come on, I want a milkshake before we go back."

* * *

><p><strong>Kobayashi Ayumi<strong>

Born - 3/21/1995

Height - 5'3"

Rock Club

Likes – boys, music

Dislikes - boys

Roommate – Rosemary Dean, Watanabe Miyako

Little Known Facts – Has a bad sense of humor; knows several criminal skills and taught Kai how to pick locks

Titles: Student Number 4, Guitarist of No Name Band, Housecat Girl

Close Friends: Kara Stride, Kondo Kai, Watanabe Miyako

Enemies: Caro Shaw (one sided), Sophie Rivers (mutual dislike), Mochizuki Kagami (mutual dislike)

**Notes**: Ah, Ayumi. Created for the new class based on a picture of a girl playing a guitar I drew a long time ago. Her personality grew out of that picture and she ended up the cruel, caustic person she is before I even started writing. Of course, she's got her reasons, but doesn't everyone? I've come to like writing her character; I wonder if that's a bad sign... By the way, her guitar is a Gibson SG Standard, in Heritage Cherry (possibly the best color for an SG _ever_), with the black pickguard removed and a succubus painted on it by Miyako. Ayumi doesn't do much maintenance on it, opting instead to take it to a certain guitar shop in Mahora (where she is secretly referred to as 'housecat girl' by the workers) which is also coincidentally frequented by Misa's band, who inspired her to become a musician in the first place. In spite of her personality, she is quite popular due to her looks, her great sense of style in everything except dresses, and the false, upbeat personality she shows around other popular students. Physically, she looks similar to Sakurako with red hair and pigtails (and blue eyes), but is actually based on a girl I went to school with. You can see a (rather bad) sketch I made of her in the Scraps section of my gallery over at Deviantart, under the same screenname I use here.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 5 (Settling In), Chapter 7 (Club Visits)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 0

Friendship - 0

Crush - 7

Love - 1

H - 18

Kamo's Comments: "Er...maybe you should take out a restraining order, Negi."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness – 18 (inflated)

Courage - 13

Attractiveness - 17

Intelligence - 12

Athleticism - 7

Instincts – 4 (suppressed)

Anger - 16

Loner - 8

Outgoing - 14

Popularity – 20

Attributes – Guitarist, Popular, red hair, pigtails, strappy/skimpy dresses, fashionable

Haruna's Comments: "Huhuhu, this one looks like a barrel of fun. I'd watch out for her sharp tongue if I were you though; she also holds a mean grudge."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous: "Bitch."

Anonymous: "I saw her being mean to another girl from her class..."

Kakizaki Misa: "Geez, I wish she'd tone it down; all the hero worship is really starting to get to me... I mean, I know I'm great and perfect in every way, but still, to hear it from else~" *smirk*


	6. MTNC 5 Rosemary Dean

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 05 – Rosemary Dean**

* * *

><p>Rosemary Dean found herself, after traveling halfway around the world, standing in a huge office and looking at a short, perverted old man with a misshapen head.<p>

"Um...excuse me? I was told to come here..."

The headmaster looked up at her, cocked an eyebrow, and looked back down at the sheaf of papers he had been skimming since the pretty secretary showed her in. "Just a moment, please."

"Okay..."

Rosemary sighed and looked around the room, taking in the oddness of the situation. When her friend back in the US had suggested this school, he hadn't said anything about just how _big _ it was; the place was huge! Way bigger than any college campus she had ever seen, _that_ was for sure. The city wasn't at all what she had expected of a Japanese town, either. She had heard that foreigners were rare in Japan, but they were all over the place here! Really weird.

Just when she was about to lose her patience, the old man carefully placed the stack of papers in a thick folder and set it down on his desk, steepled his hands in front of his face, and gave her a serious look over them. The effect was quite intimidating, and Rosemary took an unconscious step back.

"I see...so Jack vouched for you..."

Rosemary nodded hesitantly. Jacky Smith was the name of her friend in the US, the one who had told her about the school. It was quite a surprise to discover that he was that well known here.

"I wasn't expecting something like this..." the old man said as his gaze drifted back down to the stack of papers in the folder on his desk. Rosemary's eyes widened and she clenched her teeth nervously. She really, really, _really_ hoped that what he had just said didn't mean what she thought it meant.

"...but I _do_ owe Jack a favor," the headmaster said thoughtfully. His gaze snapped back to hers so fast she almost jumped. "I believe I have _just_ the class for you," he said as he stood up and walked up to one of the windows behind him to look outside, proving himself to be even shorter than she had initially suspected.

"...oh?" Rosemary asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Indeed. I believe I will assign you to class 2-A...do you have a place to stay?" he asked.

Rosemary shook her head. "No...your secretary met me at the airport and brought me straight here. I was planning on trying to find a motel or something, but..."

"Your Japanese is quite good," he said, still looking out through the window.

Rosemary's heartbeat shot up, and it took a great effort of will to not jump right out of her skin. 'This old guy's _sharp_...!' she thought fearfully. "Uh...er...I practiced a lot before I came here, that's all."

"I see," he said, and that seemed to be the end of that, much to Rosemary's relief. "Shizuna-kun will show you to your dorm; if you have any luggage, it will be brought there for you."

Rosemary blinked. "O-okay, thanks."

The old man nodded and returned to his seat, apparently signaling the end of their meeting. The door opened behind her and the secretary, the same extremely pretty woman who had been waiting for Rosemary at the airport, stepped into the room and beckoned to her. Rosemary glanced back at the old man, who was now filling out a document of some sort, and followed the woman outside.

As they walked side by side, Rosemary couldn't help but compare herself to the stunning Minamoto Shizuna. In America, Rosemary had been considered fairly attractive, but nothing special. Here in Japan, she had thought she would have a big jumpstart on the other girls her age, who were reputed to be short and flat chested for the most part. But this Shizuna woman...she found herself hypnotized by the bounce, and shook her head to clear it. She hadn't seen much of Japan yet, but if this Shizuna woman was anything to go by, then what she had heard was grossly exaggerated.

* * *

><p>A short train ride later, Rosemary entered the dorm room with Shizuna to find two girls already inside.<p>

"Er...hello," she said, almost forgetting to speak Japanese.

One of the girls gave her a cautious look and a short 'hello', but the other quickly stood up and smiled at her. "Are you Rosemary-san?" the second girl asked pleasantly.

"Er...yeah...Rosemary Dean." She looked from the smiling girl to the other one and back. "Um...how are you?"

"...you speak Japanese pretty well," the not-so-nice girl said curiously.

Rosemary grinned crookedly and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah...well...I practiced a lot?"

The girl snorted a harsh laugh and stood up, holding out her hand. "I'm Kobayashi Ayumi, that's Watanabe Miyako," she said, hooking a thumb in the general direction of the nice girl.

"It's nice to see you are all getting along," Shizuna said as she backed out of the room. "Rosemary-san, your luggage will arrive shortly. Good luck!" And with that, she shut the door and the room was once again plunged into an awkward silence.

"U-um, would you like some tea?" Miyako asked.

* * *

><p>Rosemary slowly got to know her roommates over the next few days, and found herself liking certain aspects of their personalities while hating others. Miyako, for instance, was nice and polite and her brain seemed to work in a delightfully roundabout way, but she also daydreamed all the time and was easily distracted. Ayumi had a strong personality and was very active, not to mention the fact that she played the guitar, something Rosemary had always wanted to learn but never really had the time or money to attempt; however, Ayumi was also quite aggressive and stubborn in her opinions, had a hair trigger temper, and was unafraid to give brutal criticism whenever she found something she deemed unworthy, which happened often. The room was pretty tense until Rosemary worked out how to avoid Ayumi's temper with a little help from Miyako.<p>

The first day of school revealed something amazing to Rosemary; her whole class was _weird_. Tall girls, short girls, spooky, brooding girls, hyperactive childish girls, lots of foreigners...there wasn't a single _normal_ person in her whole class, a fact doubly reinforced when one girl she had seen around, a pretty, quiet girl by the name of Nakamura Sachiko, who had, up until that point, seemed like a stereotypical polite Japanese student, opened the classroom door, accidentally triggered the falling eraser trap, whirled out of the way of the eraser and kicked it so it pinwheeled through the air and ended up on the rail below the chalkboard, all in little more than the time it took to blink. Everyone laughed and the girl shrugged it off as if it was a freak accident, but Rosemary knew better. She had caught the look in the girl's eyes before she sprang into action and could tell she had had special training. Rosemary slouched comfortably in her seat and watched as a tall, silver haired stunner of a girl who could have passed for a model reset the eraser trap, laughing the whole time. She thought it was a good thing Ayumi's suggestion of a falling bucket of paint instead of an eraser had been shouted down; if it hadn't, Rosemary had no doubt that half the class would have been painted blue after that incident. Not that Ayumi could have pulled off the old bucket-of-paint trap, anyway. Not the _right_ way, anyway. For a proper bucket-of-paint trap, you needed a rig that would simply tip the bucket while still holding it in place so it poured down on the head of whoever happened to trigger it rather than just drop the whole bucket down, which would hurt or even kill someone if you were unlucky; and while Rosemary was willing to try a lot of things in the name of fun, she wasn't quite ready to go around drilling holes in the walls of the classroom to do it, especially when the old falling-eraser gag always got so many laughs. Besides, it took too much effort to set up something like that, not to mention the deep, deep trouble you would get into afterward.

Especially if you rigged it up in such a way that it would drop a bowl of flour over the newly painted victim.

_Especially_.

It wasn't until the door opened again and let in the single hottest guy Rosemary had ever seen that she sat up straight in her seat and actually started paying attention. He caught the falling eraser without a thought, stepped over the three trip wires rigged by various students, and placed the eraser on the rail under the chalkboard, all the while showing no sign of effort, or that he had even noticed the traps at all. 'He even avoided the glue on the floor...!' Rosemary thought in wonder as she stared. 'This guy is _good_.'

He looked from face to face, smiled, and she felt her cheeks go hot and her heartbeat speed up. 'That's not fair...!' she thought frantically. How could anyone have a smile that good? And he was so young too...! He looked only a few years older than she was herself!

"Hello everyone, I will be your teacher this year. My name is Negi Springfield."

She couldn't help but grin the notoriously wicked grin that the people back home had grown to know and fear. It looked like this place wasn't so bad after all; with this teacher and such interesting classmates, she might be inspired enough to actually do her homework for once. "Heh."

"I'm sorry, did you say something, um...Rosemary-san?" Negi asked, glancing at the class roster he held.

Rosemary shook her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to," she grinned that wicked grin again, and continued. "Negi-kun."

She didn't miss the tired sigh the teacher let out or the shocked silence from the class at such a show of disrespect. It quickly turned into a thoughtful silence however, and then the other girls began to grin one by one, and she heard "Negi-kun" spoken in whispers several times. She glanced back at the teacher, who seemed to know exactly what was going on and was resigned to it. 'So everyone always calls him Negi-kun whether he likes it or not, huh? Heh, I knew it suited him~' she thought as her grin widened even further. Yes, it looked like this would be a fun class.

* * *

><p><strong>Rosemary Dean<strong>

Born - 2/12/1995

Height - 5'8"

Archery Club

Likes – Hitting the bullseye, the sound of a bowstring being released

Dislikes – Cleaning, work

Roommate – Kobayashi Ayumi, Watanabe Miyako

Little Known Facts – She is an orphan, sent to Japan to study by her grandmother on her friend Jacky Smith's (a.k.a. "Stingy Jack", look it up on Wikipedia) suggestion

Titles: Student Number 5, That Lazy Girl Who Won't Stay After Class And Clean

Close Friends: Miyoshi Youko (enjoy playing pranks together)

Enemies: Urashima Taro (doesn't trust Taro because of her actions toward Rally during the Kyoto trip), Kobayashi Ayumi (doesn't like Ayumi's attitude)

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Rosemary is one of those characters that was around long before SW3. The original version was made for a low tech medieval fantasy type world, and used a sling. Strangely enough, that version was also a foreigner, though she wasn't anywhere near as much of a trickster. Physically, Rosemary's an athletic sort of girl, though she doesn't take the time to train her body or play any of the more active sports on a regular basis; she's rather lazy and prefers to play instead. She has long brown hair that she often pulls back into a sloppy ponytail to get it out of the way, and pretty green eyes.

Appearances: Hasn't made a meaningful appearance at the time of this writing.

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 2

Sisterly - 2

Friendship - 8

Crush - 14

Love - 6

H - 14

Kamo's Comments: "Ooh, this one's got quite a crush on you, Negi. Not bad looking either, and then you've got that devious mind of hers...huhuhu"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 10

Courage - 18

Attractiveness - 12

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 10

Instincts - 17

Anger - 16

Loner - 19

Outgoing - 13

Popularity – 5

Attributes – prankster, foreigner, American

Haruna's Comments: "You know, something about this girl just doesn't add up. She's got a terrible temper, too. Still, I wonder why she's always alone?"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous member of the Archery Club: "She's just lazy! She doesn't want to learn any of the proper stances or anything, she just wants to shoot arrows all day and then skip out on cleanup!"

Classmate Nakamura Sachiko (Class Rep): "I wish she would take her responsibilities more seriously."


	7. MTNC 6 Watanabe Miyako

Meet the New Class – Student Number 06 – Watanabe Miyako

* * *

><p>1) Contrary to appearances, Miyako is not an idiot. Her grades aren't the best simply because they don't need to be. She sometimes answers questions in class incorrectly on purpose in order to deflect attention, since she doesn't want to be bothered by others who want her to explain how to do their homework. After all, if her roommate Ayumi found out she could breeze through assignments with little trouble, she would try to get her to do <em>her<em> homework, too.

2) Miyako, despite her cute, occasionally somewhat trendy appearance, is a total geek, in several fields. She does math in her head for _fun_, an alien concept to most of her classmates.

3) Singing was something Miyako had never been interested in until a few of the others dragged her off to a karaoke place after school one day. With a little practice, she quickly became the best singer in the class, maybe even her whole grade; she is even better than her classmate Sasaki Rina, much to the other girl's chagrin.

4) Miyako may not be an idiot, but she _is_ shy. Incredibly so. In fact, it was all she could do to summon the courage to walk out on the stage at the Battle of the Bands tournament in May. When she found out she had to do it again and again later that night, she nearly fainted.

5) When dealing with Miyako, one must remember to expect the unexpected. After all, who could have known she had such a great singing voice? Or would come in second place just behind Rina in gymnastics in P.E.? Or would end in the top ten in the yearly marathon last year?

6) Don't mess with Miyako. If you do, you'll have a small legion of fanboys (and fangirls) out for your blood. Her following is small as of yet, but is steadily growing as internet videos of the No Name Band's surprisingly good showing at the Battle of the Bands circulate.

7) Miyako has been going to Mahora for school most of her life; to her, a normal afternoon walk may well include any combination of the following: explosions, distant gunfire, martial artists practicing their skills against each other, motorcycle gangs getting chased by a classmate...you name it, she's seen it twenty times. She once spent a week in downtown Tokyo with an aunt who simply _insisted _on dragging her out to 'see the sights' every day of her visit; she found the experience rather boring and dull.

8) Miyako has big, pretty eyes that somehow seem to give the impression that she is in a permanent state of surprise. She never really thinks about it, but a lot of guys seem to find it utterly irresistible.

9) Miyako believes, deep in her heart, that everyone is basically good and kind-hearted. This sort of wide-eyed idealism would normally leave someone bitter and broken after years of disappointment, but Miyako has a better understanding of the human psyche than that. She instinctively understands why bitter, cruel people are the way they are after a brief conversation, and makes allowances for them in any future dealings with them. Somehow, this works and the coldest, most cynical of careless bastards feels the world has become a little warmer after a conversation with Miyako.

10) Miyako is not an idiot; she knew what she saw the night of June seventeenth as she watched from the window of her darkened dorm room while her roommates Rosemary and Ayumi were asleep. She stood in the darkness behind the window for quite some time, watching in awe as the P.E. teacher, the one everyone called 'Scary Max-sensei', fought off a gang trying to enter the dorm. She had at first thought he was firing a small portable blowtorch to keep them back, but she had seen that sort of thing before, and the flame was all wrong. A blowtorch burned steadily until you turned it off; whatever the P.E. teacher was doing involved explosions of fire and what she could only imagine were fireworks, even though they didn't look like any fireworks _she _had ever seen. And then a woman on a broom had flown past her window. Yes, she thought the next day as she carefully watched him during P.E., she knew what she had seen; it could only have been called 'magic'. She resolved to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

* * *

><p>Watanabe Miyako<p>

Born - 9/30/1994

Height - 5'3"

Rock Club

Likes – music, singing, the world

Dislikes – her awkwardness, embarrassing situations, big crowds

Roommate – Kobayashi Ayumi, Rosemary Dean

Little Known Facts – She is actually a huge geek who likes to watch Kung Fu movies.

Titles: Student Number 6

Close Friends: Kobayashi Ayumi, Kara Stride, Kondo Kai, Caro Shaw

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Miyako is another one created from scratch just for SW3. I felt her peaceful, kind 'let it be' sort of personality offered an interesting sort of dynamic when paired with Ayumi's caustic personality and Kara's seriousness. She is, like the others, a member of the No Name Band; she plays no instruments, but she does sing and sing well. She's the cute, shy member of the group who prefers cute, plain clothes and the occasional sundress to the more trendy clothing styles of some of the other students. Physically, she's more on the 'Cute' end of the spectrum rather than 'Beautiful', and her smiles tend to make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Her hair is a rather nice shade of blue normally seen on cars, medium length, and quite unruly; she often looks as if she forgot to take the time to brush her hair when she got out of bed that morning. This, combined with her wide, pretty, green eyes tends to make her appear to be sort of stupid; the fact that she often wanders around daydreaming only reinforces this (incorrect) idea.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 7 (Club Visits)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 10

Sisterly - 7

Friendship - 5

Crush - 12

Love - 6

H - 6

Kamo's Comments: "Hmm...this one's pretty cute, aniki; she's got a pretty big crush on you too. Huhuhu...take advantage of her!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 18

Courage - 9

Attractiveness - 10

Intelligence - 18

Athleticism – 5 (apparent)

Instincts - 12

Anger - 6

Loner - 16

Outgoing - 9

Popularity – 12

Attributes – shy girl, cute girl, moe moe, singer, secretly athletic, messy blue hair, short hair

Haruna's Comments: "She's just so cute...! She has a voice like an angel, too. Be careful or this one will steal your heart away~"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous student from the boys' school: "Stay away from Miya-chan, you hear me?"

Anonymous upper classwoman: "Aww, she's just so cute I want to hug her~"

Kobayashi Ayumi: "Hey, you aren't stalking Miyako, are you? Hands off, she's mine."


	8. MTNC 7 Mako Sylvester

Meet the New Class – Student Number 07 – Mako Sylvester

* * *

><p>When Mako started her first day of kindergarten in suburban Illinois, she didn't know what to expect. Her parents told her repeatedly not to worry, but their own worry for her was blatantly obvious. She didn't understand, but something about the whole thing made her kind of nervous. The whole house was filled with a sense of foreboding, and she didn't like it at all.<p>

As young Mako's parents pulled up in the parking lot and walked her up to the school, the sensations of fear, hatred, frustration and cruelty grew with every step she took toward those big double doors. This was nothing like the warmth and love that flooded the place back home, but Mako was just a child, and she loved her parents just as much as they loved her. She didn't want to disappoint them, so in spite of her misgivings she let them walk her into the room. When it was time for them to leave, she looked up at them with big, solemn eyes, but kept her silence. She told herself she would be strong, she had to be.

The teacher called her parents two hours later.

The trip home was made in silence, with her parents occasionally sneaking concerned glances at the back seat, where she sat curled in a ball, hiding her face. Their concern was almost palpable, and it made her feel even worse.

When they arrived at home, the feelings of warmth, love, and security were corrupted with confusion, worry, and, worst of all for little Mako, an undercurrent of fear. That night when they thought she was asleep, for the first time she could remember, her parents had a fight. Her mother blamed her father's family for whatever it was she was afraid of. Her father kept repeating 'It's not _my_ fault!' and similar things, and the bitter taste of fear grew stronger all through the night as they argued into the small hours of the morning. Ultimately, somehow in this swirling mess of negativity where before there had been nothing but love and trust, Mako fell asleep.

Morning arrived and brought with it a sense of change that made Mako shiver. Something was coming, and she knew home would never be the same again, so she did the only thing she, a five year old little girl, could do: she hid under her blanket and waited with dread.

It was almost noon when her parents hesitantly knocked on her bedroom door; it was something they had never done before, and Mako almost didn't want to come out from under her blanket.

* * *

><p>The trip to Japan was tense; Mako almost had a panic attack in the airport, but she knew she had to be strong for her parents, who still loved her so much even though they were afraid of her now. The plane ride was bad, but not as bad as the airport had been. She fell asleep in her seat, lulled into a contented sleep by the feelings left behind by the tremendously kind old woman who had been seated there on the plane's previous trip.<p>

The airport in Japan was alien; it was almost comforting, in a way. She couldn't tell what _these_ people were thinking, not even if she touched them. Exotic words, colored by emotion but otherwise meaningless to her, filled her mind as she looked around, holding her father and mother's hands. And now she felt their questions, the sudden regret, wondering if they were doing the right thing. She looked up at her mother, who was biting her lip, then her father, who was shading his eyes as he looked through the crowds for someone. Then, all at once out of the organized chaos, a thought came, sharp and clear.

'_Ah, so _you _are the one...'_ She looked over to the side and caught a glimpse of an older woman, a little older than her father. The woman smiled, and Mako returned the smile hesitantly. Her parents still hadn't spotted her, so Mako tugged them toward her until they did. She didn't quite know why, but...she liked this woman.

"Er...hello sister," her father said awkwardly when they finally stood before the woman, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. Mako felt her mother's pulse quicken and knew she was terrified of this woman.

"Hello little brother," the woman said in passable English, grinning in amusement. "Brother's wife," she said, grinning even wider at Mako's mother, who looked for all the world like a little kid about to face the dentist's drill. Mako could tell it was taking tremendous effort on the part of her mother to not run away screaming, and loved her all the more for it.

"Aunt Yumeko," Mako said suddenly, startling all of them.

"My my, aren't you advanced," Yumeko said, looking down at her. She reached down to pat her on the head, but Mako shied away; she had already learned about that. Yumeko smiled at her and nodded, then turned to her parents. "So, will you be joining us for dinner before your trip back?"

Mako's father looked away sheepishly, but her mother shook her head. "I-I...we...I mean we can't really..."

Yumeko nodded. "Say nothing more. Well," she said, looking down at Mako, who looked back up at her with wide eyes. "I suppose this is goodbye... May it not be forever."

Mako looked back at her parents as both groups walked away from each other, and reached up to take her aunt's hand. She paused for a moment, looking back, and caught her mother's eye as she too glanced back. Both groups paused then, and then her parents were running toward her and she was running toward them and everyone was crying, then her mother was hugging her and trying to smother her with kisses, and her father was hugging both of them, and Mako was sobbing into her mother's shirt, her tiny fists grasping handfuls of cloth as she cried.

* * *

><p>Aunt Yumeko's house was out in the country, fairly large, and overflowed with a sense of peace; something Mako desperately needed after being sent halfway around the world to live with someone who should have been all but a stranger.<p>

Yumeko led her to a pleasant little room with a few pieces of furniture and, best of all, a television set with a video game system attached.

As she watched Mako fussily arrange the few things she had brought from home, Yumeko smiled grimly. She knew Mako would have a long, hard time learning what she needed to know just to survive in a world where she could hear other's thoughts, feel their emotions through something as brief as brushing by someone in a crowd. It would be difficult, but Yumeko knew the girl had steel in her even at this young age; the resolute way she had left her parents behind at the airport showed that.

When Mako was done, the two of them went to the kitchen, where Yumeko made her a bowl of ice cream and they both sat down at the table. After a moment, she began to speak. "Mako-chan, I will not lie to you. The next few years will be hard; you will see the worst—and the best—that humanity has to offer. There will be times when you miss your parents so badly you can't stand it, but you must stay strong. You have a tremendous gift, if you learn how to use it properly. You must not let it control you; to do so means madness."

Mako had a brief mental image of herself spiraling down into a black hole, screaming, and shivered. Her aunt lightly touched her hand, and shivered as well. "Horrifying, but appropriate, I'm afraid. This is our blood line's curse, but it can also be a gift, if you let it. Your father fled halfway around the world to get away from it; but then again, it was never strong in the male side, especially so with him. He has mercifully little ability beyond what they call a 'gut feeling'. You, however, are different. I can tell already, you are quite possibly the strongest our family has had in the past few centuries, perhaps even stronger than the one who set down our Way. You will not be able to make it on your own. Will you let me teach you?"

Mako looked up at her solemnly, a little ice cream on her chin, and nodded once. She understood her parents' fear, the vast majority of which was _for_ her rather than _of_ her, though that had been there too. They wouldn't have brought her here if they didn't think Aunt Yumeko could help; she knew this because she had heard their thoughts and felt their emotions. She knew they only wanted her to be happy. It hurt far more than she could articulate that they weren't here with her, but... She would be strong; she had to be.

* * *

><p>Mako Silvester<p>

Born - 1/20/1995

Height - 5'9"

Library Club

Likes – ghost stories

Dislikes – crowded places

Roommate – Suzuki Keiko

Little Known Facts – She hates that everyone thinks she's scary, but doesn't know what to do about it

Titles: Student Number 7, That Creepy Girl In Negi-Kun's Class

Close Friends: Sato Gin (after the events of the Kyoto Trip)

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Mako was created for SW3, but didn't have much of a personality until I decided to make her one of the "Creepy Trio" alongside Ono Ran and Sato Gin. Luckily, her name breaks up the weird 2 syllable family name, 1 syllable given name pattern I had going on there. She's a touch-type psychic. She's only half Japanese; her father left Japan to run away from his family's curse and settled down in the US, where he changed his name, found a girl, and got married. Mako is the result. Physically, she's quite tall and frail looking, which helps to heighten her sense of spookiness. She has medium-length black hair and dark blue eyes.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 11 (Kyoto 3)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 11

Sisterly - 6

Friendship - 6

Crush - 5

Love - 4

H - 2

Kamo's Comments: "Yeah, not much happening here, I'm afraid. If you're looking for a girlfriend, Negi, you should go on to the next one."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 12

Courage - 18

Attractiveness -16

Intelligence - 17

Athleticism - 4

Instincts - 20

Anger - 18

Loner - 17

Outgoing - 8

Popularity – 7

Attributes – Spooky girl, tall girl, half blood girl

Haruna's Comments: "Well, everyone knows who she is, that's for sure. Reeeeeally sharp, too; not much gets past her."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous underclassman: "Th-that older girl? She's scary..."

Scary Max Sensei: "Sylvester? She's a smart girl, but..." *pauses, looks around, moves close to whisper* "Sometimes you turn around and find her staring at you and it's really creepy..."


	9. MTNC 8 Suzuki Keiko

Meet the New Class – Student Number 08 – Suzuki Keiko

* * *

><p>Keiko's alarm clicked in preparation to ring, but she quickly pressed the button before it could start and sat up in her bed. 'Good, caught it again today,' she thought to herself as she stood up and stretched. She put on her glasses. Today's catch made it nineteen days in a row she had stopped the alarm clock before it could ring; she was getting quite skilled at waking up when she wanted to wake up. She gathered her clothes and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower before her roommate could wake up.<p>

As usual in the mornings, Mako had woken up while she was in the shower, and had started preparing breakfast. Keiko came out, nodded to Mako, who went for her shower, and had breakfast finished and ready for her by the time she came out. All of this was accomplished with a minimum of speech, something neither girl particularly cared about. They had snapped into this routine with ease after only a few days as roommates and both found it comfortable, so neither wanted to change it.

"There's a test today," Keiko said over breakfast. Mako replied with a rather bland "Mm", and they fell back into a comfortable silence that continued until the racket of their neighbors waking up and getting out of bed made Keiko sigh. "Want to leave early?"

Mako nodded. "That's fine."

"Okay."

They left the dorm building shortly after, taking their time as they walked in order to quiz each other on the various items that would be on the test.

* * *

><p>Keiko sat through homeroom observing Negi-sensei, the clouds outside, Negi-sensei, the amusing faces Rosemary made when Negi-sensei's back was turned, Negi-sensei, Miyako sitting in her chair half asleep, Negi-sensei, and Aiko struggling to stay awake in the front row, followed by Negi-sensei. It was simply the usual homeroom, and Keiko didn't mind at all; especially if she got to observe Negi-sensei. She was well aware that he was WAY out of her league; so far, in fact, that their distance could be measured in light years, but that didn't mean she couldn't find him so pleasant to look at.<p>

First period passed with a pleasant slowness and she quickly finished her work, leaving her with little to do but pull out a book and start reading. Rosemary glanced over at her, giving her a meaningful look, so she moved her paper over so the American girl who sat next to her could see some of her answers. She knew Rosemary was intelligent enough to find the answers herself, so to Keiko it wasn't that big of a deal to just give them to her. If Rosemary had been an idiot, though, Keiko wouldn't have bothered.

* * *

><p>The next class was math; Keiko again completed her work with time left over, and again pulled out her book and started to read. It was part of a light novel series about immortal gangsters in the early twentieth century in America, and Keiko found it oddly fascinating; in particular she enjoyed the many, many characters and the way so many ongoing plotlines moved alongside each other. Unfortunately, that class ended far too soon and they were sent off to P.E.<p>

* * *

><p>Keiko hated P.E; it was the only class she could say that about. She was <em>not<em> an athletic person, no matter how hard she tried to train her body; and the P.E. teacher, a big American who would be right at home in the novel series she was reading, could be quite scary. She sort of liked the assistant P.E. teacher Sasaki-sensei, however; the woman was pretty and cheerful and went a long way toward balancing out the dreadful atmosphere 'Scary Max-sensei', as he was commonly called, seemed to create by his mere presence. Strangely enough, the two teachers got along extremely well. At first she had assumed they were in a relationship of some sort, but Sasaki Rina-san, her classmate and Sasaki-sensei's little sister, had quickly disabused her of that particular notion. According to Rina, and Keiko had reason to believe her, Makie simply liked _everyone_, and for whatever reason Scary Max-sensei was inclined to be friends with her. Rina had told her this with an insinuating look which Keiko had found deeply intriguing. After all, what sort of middle school girl didn't want to know a little more about romance? She didn't dare ask the two themselves, however; the thought alone was too scary.

P.E. eventually ended and they went on to the next class, which was English. This was Keiko's favorite class, mostly because Negi-sensei was the English teacher, and he tended to praise the students who did well on his tests. Speaking of which...

Keiko finished her test and leaned back in her seat to stretch. P.E. always made her tired...she glanced out the window and blinked. Had that been a girl flying over the trees...? She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. 'I must be overworking myself,' she thought briefly before her gaze strayed back to Negi-sensei.

* * *

><p>Eventually the last class of the day ended and the students were released. Keiko watched, a little envious, as the other students gathered together in small groups, talking and laughing and making plans for the weekend. She quietly opened the door of her shoe locker and changed her shoes in silence. It wasn't that she didn't <em>want<em> to be friends with the other girls, it was more that they couldn't seem to keep up with her. By the time they moved on from a subject of conversation, Keiko had already had time to go through everything she knew about it, get bored, and move on to another subject, sometimes more than once. Their _pace_ was all wrong for her. It was something she had gotten used to, however, and she didn't blame anyone for their slowness. It was just the way they were.

She set off by herself along a random footpath until she came upon a small wide spot with a bench, a fountain in the middle, and a couple of vending machines off to the side. She got a drink and a candy bar and sat down on the bench. She sat there for a moment in silence, looking around at the nice scenery. She liked doing this sort of thing; taking a random path and seeing where it led. She had found many small, hidden areas like this by doing so. She finished her snack and leaned back on the bench, looking up at the clear blue sky and the few puffs of cloud that floated through it. She let out a deep sigh and relaxed, sinking back into the comfortable bench.

* * *

><p>Keiko snapped awake to find the sky dark and someone seated beside her.<p>

"Ah, you're finally awake, huh? It's not a good idea to fall asleep on random benches, you know," the woman beside her said, nodding enthusiastically.

Keiko straightened her glasses and looked at the assistant P.E. teacher Sasaki Makie-sensei. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time," she said as she sat up and stretched. She had always looked up to Makie-sensei; the woman was pretty and strong and could take care of herself; hadn't they all watched her punch that scary man in the mouth back in May...? She nearly jumped out of her skin when something moved in the shadows on the other side of the fountain. When the other person stepped into the dim light from the vending machines, she was somehow not very relieved to see that it was Scary Max-sensei. Makie could also deal with that scary person with ease too, arguing and laughing and joking as if he didn't look like a ghoulish giant; that was something else she had always admired about the woman.

"She's right; it's not a good idea for you to be out on your own this late," he said, his rough, gravelly voice standing out in sharp contrast with Makie's.

"Oooo," Makie said, annoyed. "You big idiot, you're scaring her! Come on Keiko-san, I'll walk you back to the dorm," she said, holding out her hand.

Keiko looked from her to the big teacher and back again, and took her hand, allowing herself to be helped up. She looked from Max back to Makie, and realized with a start that Makie wasn't much bigger than she was herself. She looked down at Makie's hand, holding hers, and realized they were the same size. 'She's...she's just like me?'

"Is something wrong?" Makie asked.

Keiko heard the concern in the teacher's voice and shook her head, then looked up and met her eyes. "N-no, nothing's wrong." Makie smiled real big and Keiko realized she couldn't think of anything to say, so she settled for an awkward smile back.

"Well, let's get on our way~" Makie said suddenly, deftly removing the weight of attention from Keiko's shoulders.

"Will you be all right?" Max asked.

Makie paused, looked up at the late evening sky thoughtfully, and grinned. "Yep! Keep patrolling, I'll catch up at the world tree. Come along, Keiko-chan~"

Keiko looked wonderingly at the diminutive P.E. teacher as the two of them walked along. Makie walked straight into the inky darkness between the patches of light from the streetlights without a care in the world; it was all Keiko could do to summon the courage to not jump at every little sound when it was so dark. When a dark figure suddenly moved in the shadows, Keiko almost screamed; Makie simply greeted the imposing masked figure with a happy, up-beat "Hello Kaede! I haven't seen you around in a long time!" to which the scary ninja-like person had replied with a gentle laugh and a "It's nice to see you too, Makie. Have you been training?"

Keiko watched the easy back and forth between the two in wonder until the scary ninja-like woman excused herself and seemed to disappear, apparently merging with the darkness around them.

She was quiet for a long, long moment as they continued on, then turned to Makie, who had begun humming a happy tune. "Was...was that a ninja?"

Makie laughed, a light, tinkling sound, and smiled. "Yep! That was Nagase Kaede, one of my old classmates. We had a lot of fun back then," she said, her tone turning somewhat wistful.

Keiko looked down at the ground, knotting the side of her skirt in her free hand. "H...how do you do it?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"H-how are you so brave like this? How can you walk when it's this dark? How can you talk to Scary Max-sensei and ninjas like you do? You called him an idiot!"

Makie looked at her for a moment, surprised. "You think I'm brave?" she asked, surprise clear in her voice. She smiled and shook her head. "I'm not brave; my friends are the ones that are brave," she said, nodding as a confident look swept over her face. "Without their support, I wouldn't be here now."

"But they aren't here..."

Makie shook her head. "Poor Keiko-chan. Poor sweet, dumb, silly-"

"Sensei!"

She grinned. "Okay, okay. See, they _are_ here, in my heart," she said, placing her free hand on her chest. "I know it sounds sappy, but it's true. When I think of what they have faced alone, a little darkness doesn't seem so bad, you know?" She paused a moment. "Training helps too," she said as she struck an exaggerated pose like something out of a Bruce Lee movie.

Keiko stifled a laugh at the teacher's antics and looked down at the path as they walked. She wanted to understand, she really did, but...she couldn't. She didn't really have any friends. Sure, she talked to Rina sometimes, Mako was her roommate, and Rosemary sat beside her in class, but...were they really her friends? She liked to think they were, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they were technically something closer to acquaintances.

They walked along in silence for a moment.

"How do you talk to people so easily?" she asked suddenly, her cheeks heating up as she stared at the ground.

* * *

><p>Makie was surprised. She looked at the young girl walking beside her, holding her hand, and felt an overwhelming urge to hug her. So she did. Keiko tried to jerk away, obviously surprised, but quickly gave in and buried her face in Makie's shirt while she patted her head.<p>

"It's not easy," Makie said quietly. "You never know if they're going to snap at you or ignore you or insult you, but so what if they do?" she said quietly. "You won't know if you can be friends until you talk to them, right?" She held Keiko out at arm's length and looked her in the eye. "Right?"

"I-I guess," Keiko said. "But what if they don't understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Oh, I see. The old 'I'm-so-smart-nobody-understands-me' problem, right?"

Keiko looked embarrassed, but nodded.

"I see," Makie said knowingly. "Well in that case, just get to know them and adapt to their level when you're talking. That's not so bad, right? Besides, they'll realize you're holding back and naturally try to catch up. Who knows, you might end up having more in common than you think~ Its good all around, right?"

Keiko hesitantly nodded. "I guess..."

Makie grinned and nodded her head. "Right. You're in Negi-kun's homeroom, right? How about tomorrow morning you say hello to the girl that sits next to you?"

Keiko looked down at the ground as they walked. Say hello to Rosemary Dean? But she was a pretty American...! What could they possibly have in common...? But that was a defeatist manner of thought. She realized Makie was speaking again.

"Oh look, you can see the dorm from here."

Keiko looked up. Sure enough, the lights of the dorm were in sight.

"You'll remember what I said, right? Riiiiight?" Makie said, nudging her with her elbow. Makie smiled hugely at her, and Keiko nodded shyly.

"I'll remember."

"Good! Now remember, Keiko-chan! If you never bother to speak to them, you'll never know if you can be friends or not! Friends are important!"

They walked up to the dorm entrance in silence.

Makie paused at the foot of the stairs. "Well, that's it then; I have to head back to find Max-sensei. You'll remember, right?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Good." Makie nodded decisively and gave Keiko a confident smile. "Good luck!"

* * *

><p>Keiko opened the door and stepped inside, only to find a small crowd waiting for her.<p>

Nakamura Sachiko, the class rep, a girl she couldn't recall ever having spoken too, stood there before her. "You are okay?"

Keiko nodded, surprised more by the question than by the one asking it. To be honest, she hadn't thought anyone would notice her missing.

Sachiko looked her over to check for bloodstains or missing limbs, and nodded in return, an expression of relief briefly flashing across her face before she turned away.

"Geez Keiko-chan, don't scare us like that! We thought you were kidnapped or something!" Sasaki Rina said, pouting angrily at her. Several of the others nodded and expressed similar sentiments.

"I-I'm...sorry...?" Keiko said hesitantly. Really, this was all quite unexpected. She quickly glanced over the group; it looked like half the class was there. "Ah...thanks. For worrying about me, I mean..."

* * *

><p>Makie stood outside, looking through the glass doors at the crowd inside. "Hehe, looks like it turned out better than expected~"<p>

Max grunted. "That's good. I was getting worried about her; she never hangs out with any of the others during P.E. or after school."

Makie nodded. "She should have some friends after this, though. Come on, we still have the rest of our patrol to get to~"

* * *

><p><strong>Suzuki Keiko<strong>

Born - 1/25/1995

Height - 4'11"

Pottery Club

Likes – Collecting Things

Dislikes – Recognition for her accomplishments

Roommate – Mako Sylvester

Little Known Facts – Everyone knows she's smart; they don't know just _how_ smart.

Titles: Student Number 8, The Genius of Class 2-A

Close Friends: None (still gaining friends)

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Keiko's another one created for SW3. From the moment I chose the name, I knew she was a short, intelligent girl; the problem was in giving her enough of her own personality to set her apart from the same basic character in a million shows. I like to think that in the end, she feels more like a real person than a one dimensional anime-style character. Physically, she's short and thin, wears glasses, has dark brown eyes, and has long brown hair that she often ties back in a proper ponytail. She's a very contemplative sort of girl, and can often be seen walking along with a book in hand, and somehow manages to avoid tripping or running into anything.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 8 (Preparations)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 1

Friendship - 7

Crush - 11

Love - 18

H - 5

Kamo's Comments: "This poor girl's got it bad...I know I don't usually say this, but let her down easy, will you?"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 13

Courage - 12

Attractiveness - 10

Intelligence - 20

Athleticism - 2

Instincts - 2

Anger - 10

Loner - 5

Outgoing - 4

Popularity – 10

Attributes – Smart girl, short girl, quiet girl, long hair, glasses girl

Haruna's Comments: "So-so looks and personality, but she's really smart. Rumors say she'll let you copy her homework if you ask nicely. Useful to have around, but a bad conversationalist. Oh, and she's also madly in love with Negi-kun~"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Asakura Kazumi: "She's a smart kid; I'm just wondering how long it'll take her to find out the truth about magic."

Anonymous Underclassman: "Suzuki-sempai is very kind; she helped me with some difficult homework and even made some flash cards for me! Suzuki-sempai is someone I look up to."


	10. MTNC 9 Hayashi Fujiko

Meet the New Class – Student Number 09 – Hayashi Fujiko

* * *

><p>When she was young, Hayashi Fujiko dreamed of superheroes. People with amazing powers they used to save the helpless and rescue them from the big bad evil villain, who was always kidnapping the princess or hurting the innocent. It might have been the picture book of fairy tales she learned to read with, or it might have been the trio of Kamen Rider movies her father had watched with her since her birth, but by the time she started school she was already hooked. None of the other girls in her class liked that sort of thing, but she found, strangely enough, that most of the boys did.<p>

At first, she was content to play the damsel in distress in their games, but after a few days of that she grew bored with being the one who was always in need of help. She wasn't a fan of the victim, after all; she loved heroes.

The boys wouldn't let her be a hero, however. After all, who had ever heard of a _girl_ rushing in to save the day...? So six year old 'Fu-chan', as she was called by the others, threw her first punch in frustration and anger. It was a pitiful, haphazard thing, totally lacking in technique or power, but even so it was enough to knock her shocked target down.

As she stood over the crying boy, her tiny fists clenched, she had a startling revelation: she had _power_. She looked up at the stunned ring of boys, and they backed up a step; she raised her fist threateningly, and they turned and ran. _Power_...for the first time in her life, she had _power_...! Like...like a _hero_...! She smiled as a thrill ran through her. Nobody would dare pick on others with _her_ around...!

* * *

><p>Fujiko hopped down the steps to the playground, and the other kids already outside stood around looking at her uncertainly. Fujiko, for her part, climbed back up a step so she looked taller; already she had discovered how important it was to appear bigger than you were if you were intending to show other people who was boss.<p>

For two weeks now, she had ruled the playground. After she hit that one boy, everybody always did what she said. Yesterday, when they wanted to play on the jungle gym but she wanted to play dodgeball, they had ended up playing dodgeball. Fujiko smiled serenely. This was how it should be!

"Does anybody have a cookie?" she asked. The kids looked guiltily at each other until one of them offered up his snack; Fujiko took the cookie and took a bite out of it. After a moment, she looked at it hesitantly and snapped it into two uneven parts; she gave the smaller part back to the kid she took the cookie from, and wandered over to the jungle gym, which she quickly climbed. She perched herself at the top and took another bite of the cookie as she looked out over her kingdom, which consisted of a couple dozen kids and various pieces of playground equipment. Her gaze sharpened as a kid approached the merry-go-round; he turned, saw her glaring at him, and shuffled away from it. This was good and right, in Fujiko's view...she had fallen off the merry-go-round on her first day at school; that thing was dangerous.

A moment later, the new kid who had transferred in a few days previous, a girly looking boy who had 'spunk', as Fujiko thought she had heard it called, climbed up the jungle gym and sat beside her.

"Whoa, you can see so _far_ up here!" the new kid said.

Fujiko glanced over at him and nodded. "Yep! You can see almost all the way down the block!"

They sat there for a moment, then Fujiko broke the remains of the cookie in half and gave part of it to the new kid. "Here you go, Taro-kun!"

The new kid took the cookie and munched away happily.

* * *

><p>A week passed, and nothing much changed on the playground. The new kid, Taro-kun, went along with whatever Fujiko wanted easily enough, Fujiko would share the snacks the other kids gave her, and soon the two of them became inseparable on the playground.<p>

And then, one day...

* * *

><p>"Gimme it!" Fujiko demanded.<p>

Keiko-chan, a timid young girl who had never before dared to oppose Fujiko, stubbornly shook her head as she clutched her snack to her chest. "No! My mommy made it for _me_, not for you!"

Fujiko glared and held up her fist threateningly. "I'm warning you Keiko-chan! You'd better let me have it!"

Keiko flinched back, but stubbornly shook her head. So Fujiko hit her.

In Fujiko's mind, it just seemed the thing to do at the time. After all, wasn't Fujiko the protector of the playground? Didn't she stop the other kids from fighting? Didn't she keep them off the dangerous things like the merry-go-round or the monkey bars, from which she herself had fallen last week? Nobody picked on anybody when she was around; they wouldn't dare. She did a lot for the other kids so she should get something in return, right? She _deserved_ something for all she did for them...! All of this ran through Fujiko's mind without her really noticing as she pried Keiko's prized snack container from her grip while the smaller girl cried.

'It's not like I'm gonna eat the whole thing, I'll give her some of it back...' she thought as she finally yanked the container away. She was totally unprepared for the hard shove from behind.

Fujiko lay sprawled in the dirt a moment, shocked as much by the pain in her knees and the palms of her hands as by the fact that someone had pushed her. She sat up and looked at the small rock embedded in the palm of her right hand for a moment, and started to sniffle as tears welled up. She became dimly aware of the other kids standing around staring, and finally gathered her wits enough to stand up, only to be shoved down again, harder this time. The other kids jumped, looking at her with wide eyes as she lay in the dirt, crying now as much from frustration and confusion as pain. She climbed up again, only to get shoved down a third time.

"Stop it!" she wailed as she got up on her hands and knees and looked at her tormentor.

Taro looked down at her, glaring his fiercest glare with his fists clenched. "No!" he said as she shoved her again. "You're mean, Fu-chan! Why'd you hit her? She didn't do anything!"

Fujiko looked blankly at Keiko, who had retrieved her snack container and held it against her chest with both hands. She tried to get up again, but Taro shoved her back down and she started to cry for real. "Suh-stop it, lemme up!"

"No!" Taro said, kicking dirt at her. The other kids had all gathered round by this point, watching in slack-jawed fascination as the girl who had tormented them since the beginning of school got shoved down yet again.

"Y-you're just a bully!" Fujiko wailed.

"Am not! You're the bully!" Taro shouted as he shoved her again.

Fujiko looked up at him through her tears as he stood over her, the afternoon sun squarely behind him and thought, for one horrible moment, that he actually looked a little cool.

"You lied!" he yelled. "You said you were a defender of justice, but you're just a big bully! I didn't know you were stealing all those snacks from the other kids; heroes don't steal! They don't go around hitting people just 'cuz they don't get their way either! Keitaro-nii told me that! _He's_ a hero, not you!"

Fujiko flinched back, crying hard now. "No! I _am_ a hero! I _am_!"

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

"A real man doesn't go around picking on other kids!" Taro shouted in his girly, childish voice as several teachers rushed out to separate them.

* * *

><p>Fujiko jerked awake and shot a quick glance around the classroom as the other students began taking out their English books, and looked guiltily at Negi-sensei, who winked at her. She quickly focused on finding her textbook, wondering idly why she was dreaming about that embarrassing old memory at a time like this. She glanced out the window for a moment as she tried to wake herself up enough to organize her thoughts. Taro-kun...now that had been one smart kid; he had managed to set her straight in perhaps the only way that would have worked. She wouldn't admit it these days, not to anyone, but she still admired heroes and would love to be one herself, though she knew things weren't that easy out here in the real world. She wondered briefly what had happened to Taro-kun after that incident, but figured he must have been transferred out after that, because she didn't remember having seen him again after that day. She shook her head to clear it and tried to focus on the day's lesson.<p>

* * *

><p>Later that day, after school let out, Fujiko wandered outside at a sedate pace. One of the first years bumped into her and apologized, and Fujiko smiled at her and told her it was okay. She made her way to the train station and plopped down on a nearby bench and dropped her books next to her, and yawned. 'I must not be getting enough sleep lately...' she thought drowsily. A startled shout jerked her back to consciousness a moment later.<p>

"Ow!"

"What's the matter, huh? You made me drop my books, _pick 'em up_!"

"N-no! You bumped into me on purpose so you could push me—ow! That hurt!"

"You think _that_ hurt? Then let me open your eyes, kid! Or do you want to just come with me and my friends here?"

Fujiko was off the bench an instant later. She thought quickly as she approached the scene and took in the situation. A big guy, probably in the high school section of the boys' school, was threatening the younger girl who had bumped into Fujiko earlier and had just grabbed her by the wrist. Several of his friends were lurking around beside him, sending lecherous looks at the girl, who was obviously terrified.

Everything seemed to go extremely slow and Fujiko was moving before she even realized she had intended to; she deftly stepped between the big guy and the girl, knocked his arm away, and gave him a hard shove that sent him staggering back off balance. She grabbed one of his flailing arms and neatly flipped him to the ground, _hard_, and then his friends were coming at her. She flipped the first one onto the big guy, knocking him back to the ground before he could get up, punched the second guy hard in the nose, something he had obviously not been expecting, but before she could do anything else the third guy grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides, and used his superior size and strength to lift her off the ground where she couldn't get any leverage. She kicked at his legs as well as she could, but he had her bent backward far enough that she couldn't put any power into it when she actually managed to make contact. She realized she had bigger problems, though, when the big guy got back to his feet.

"I am gonna _kill_ you, you little-"

Fortunately, Fujiko didn't get to find out what he was going to say next, because Urashima Taro, a girl from her class she had thought of previously as little better than a bully, leaped into the scene with a flying kick that knocked him sprawling. The guy holding Fujiko released her to face the new threat, and Fujiko wasted no time, driving her elbow into his stomach hard and throwing him to the ground even harder. Meanwhile, Taro had punched one of the other guys in the stomach hard enough to make him collapse, clutching at his midsection, which left one final guy. He took one look at Taro and Fujiko glaring at him, and ran away screaming like a little girl.

Taro sighed and turned to look at Fujiko. "Geez Fu-chan, what are you thinking? Taking on four guys at once? You're lucky I was nearby and saw what happened."

Fujiko gave her an odd look. "What did you call me?"

Taro blinked at her, confused. "...Fujiko-san?" She looked a little disturbed, herself.

"..."

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" the girl Fujiko had saved gushed as she ran up to the two girls from her hiding place. "You two saved me! You're my heroes!"

Fujiko blushed heavily and turned away. "It...it was nothing...anyone would have...I mean..."

Taro, for her part, just grinned and shook her head. "Nah, a lot of people would've just looked away. You did it a stupid way, but you _did_ save her from those guys, Fujiko. Good job!" she said, slapping her on the back. "I've got other stuff to do, see ya in class," she said, walking away.

Fujiko looked from Taro's departing back to the girl she had saved and back, and couldn't help but think that Taro looked a little cool.

* * *

><p><strong>Hayashi Fujiko<strong>

Born - 11/15/1994

Height - 5'2"

Judo Club

Likes – Training, protecting the weak, justice

Dislikes – Bullies, studying

Roommate – Karakuri Chachamaru, who is almost never there

Little Known Facts -

Titles: Student Number 9

Close Friends: No one in particular

Enemies: Kobayashi Ayumi

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Hayashi Fujiko...something about that name made me instantly think 'martial artist'. And, since I already had users of several high impact martial arts, why not one focusing on a different type? And so Hayashi Fujiko became a member of the Judo Club. I'm not really sure where the whole hero thing came from; it was there in her personality before I realized it. As for the character, she is completely original, not based on any other character from anything. I'm sure there are similar characters out there (superhero-wannabe martial artist? Of course!), but Fujiko was created in my mind in the same way I create characters for my original stories, as are most of the other members of the new class. Physically, Fujiko is quite short at 5'2". She has messy orange hair (anime colors, remember) and light brown eyes. She's a very active person, a tomboy, and is actually quite attractive though it may be hard to tell through her usual looks.

Appearances: First Appearance- chap 3 (New Beginnings 3), Chapter 7 (Club Visits)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 5

Sisterly - 2

Friendship - 5

Crush - 17

Love - 3

H – 16 (GAH! No! A hero can't look at her teacher that way! Nonono...!)

Kamo's Comments: *lecherous grin* "Check out that H stat...! Go for it aniki!"

* * *

><p><strong><span>Haruna's Stat Chart<span>**

Friendliness - 18

Courage - 20

Attractiveness - 17

Intelligence - 13

Athleticism - 12

Instincts - 13

Anger - 12

Loner - 10

Outgoing - 15

Popularity – 15

Attributes – Athletic girl, tomboy, short hair, friendly, JUSTICE

Haruna's Comments: "Wow this girl's got a real hero complex...! She's not too bad either; the Judo Club says she's one of their better members. Apparently the only reason she's not their best is because she doesn't give her all in matches; they say she's afraid of hurting her opponents...a noble sentiment, but stupid. Yeah, this girl's like a knight in shining armor, just looking for a princess to save. Heh... Ah, youth."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Gotokuji: "Hayashi? Yeah, she's a good kid. She stumbled across me getting my butt kicked in an ambush and jumped right in. We were outnumbered so badly that we still ended up losing, but at least she tried. I'm thinking about getting a friend of mine to offer to train her; I don't want to see her get hurt."

Ku Fei: "Hayashi Fujiko...She is good, but inexperienced. She still needs time to grow."


	11. MTNC 10 Karakuri Chachamaru

**Note: **This one references events in SW3: A Robot's Life, which can be found on this site through my profile.

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 10 – Karakuri Chachamaru<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hakase, I have come for my checkup."<p>

Hakase looked up at her and blinked, as if she had forgotten that she had been the one to schedule the checkup in the first place. "Ah, Chachamaru! Sorry, I'll have some space cleared up in just a sec," she said as she swept a bunch of photos off the examination table into a box, which she put on a handy counter, itself already cluttered with tools and bits and pieces of the components that made up the advanced robotic bodies Hakase specialized in creating. Chachamaru assisted her by removing several stacks of paper and a metal box with hair of a disturbingly familiar shade of green poking out from under the lid.

Hakase puttered around for a moment, looking for an instrument that ended up being in one of the pockets of her lab coat. "Ah, sorry about the mess, Chachamaru. I found a box of pictures the lab techs took when Chao and I were working on your first real body. Oh wow, do you remember how awkward it was? You only had eighteen points of articulation! Pitiful, just pitiful!" she said, laughing in the happy manner of someone recounting amusing childhood adventures.

Chachamaru felt a bit miffed, but decided to focus on the present. "Hakase, the checkup...?"

"Okay, okay, I got it Miss Impatient~" Hakase replied as she began inspecting Chachamaru's wireless communications equipment.

Chachamaru couldn't help but notice the older models on their rolling holding racks stationed against the far wall. There were almost a dozen previous models of her body there, along with seven of her sister Rally's previous models. Hakase paused in her inspection and cleaning for a moment and caught Chachamaru's gaze. She grinned and rubbed the back of her head. "Heh... Like I said, I was cleaning the place up and came upon that box of photos, and, well, you know me, right? It seemed like just five minutes later and the whole lab was filled with old reports and things. I even brought out some of your old bodies! Doesn't this bring back memories?" she said as she all but skipped over to one of the older models and lifted the arm, shaking it like it was waving at Chachamaru. "See? Look at this, you can even see the joints! This is _so_ out of date! Hahaha!"

Chachamaru didn't feel much like laughing as she looked at the ancient model. She recalled that version _quite_ well, thank you very much. It had been the one she was using when Negi first arrived...things had gotten hectic very quickly, and Hakase had thankfully upgraded her to a new model which, for the first time, featured a synthetic skin. She looked at that model, also present, and couldn't help but note how dry and stiff the artificial skin looked after four or five years in storage. There were also Hakase's infamous 'child' models, which Chachamaru had only used a few times under extreme duress.

"Aw, isn't this one so cute? You looked like a cute little kid, Chachamaru~" Hakase said, pinching one of the 'child' model's cheeks. She looked up slyly at Chachamaru. "Are you _sure_ you don't want another one of these? Negi's the nurturing type, you know~"

"No thank you, Hakase," Chachamaru said firmly. She quite _liked_ being tall enough to reach the top shelf, thank you very much! Even if Negi-sensei _was_ the nurturing type... 'Stop that,' she told herself while deleting the mental image of her young version seated in Negi's lap that had appeared in concert with the thought. A moment later she retrieved the image from the recycle bin and saved it in her So-Secret-Not-Even-Hakase-Knows-About-It folder.

Chachamaru looked at the other models, noting thankfully how Hakase had thoughtfully covered up the 'naughty bits' on the only model that featured them. Strangely enough, certain other features on that particular model had been changed from her normal body shape when it was built; she didn't quite understand the whole thing, though she had a vague suspicion that Hakase was a closet pervert.

"The checkup, Hakase...?"

"Okay, okay...I get it, 'stop wasting time, Hakase, I'm a busy gynoid!' Right?"

Chachamaru just looked at her, and she grinned winningly.

"Right then! It's time for another body upgrade, Chachamaru! See, after our little incident with Tanaka Unit 1125, I've recovered the lost schematics for my solar power module. Basically, it allows you to continue functioning with energy collected from sunlight, with the ability to choose from over seventy power use profiles ranging from just enough to run communications equipment to more than enough to run a small town, if you wanted. Of course the power won't last long _that_ way, but still..."

Chachamaru idly noted one of Hakase's assistants rolling in another model, this one covered with a sheet, while Hakase rattled on and on about power levels and efficiency and other things of that nature.

"Is this my new body?" Chachamaru asked, interrupting Hakase's mad ranting about how they would never understand her true genius until it was too late.

"Hm? Oh! Yes!" She gave Chachamaru a sly look. "Wanna see? It's _incredibly_ advanced, if I do say so myself. I was able to redesign the solar unit I was talking about before to make it much more compact than the one in 1125, and guess what?" she said energetically, beaming at Chachamaru.

Chachamaru took the bait. "What?"

"I fixed the hip problem!" Hakase exclaimed. "Remember how the weight distribution always made your hip movement look unnatural in the newer models because of the lack of reinforcement plating in certain areas? I found a way to fix it! Now you'll be able to do exotic dancing like a pro!"

Chachamaru felt an inexplicable buildup of circulation fluid in the artificial skin of her face as she eyed the covered figure. She had a sneaking suspicion that Hakase had decided to include the 'naughty bits' on this model as well and thought briefly to herself, first law of robotics be damned, no one would ever find the body if she had.

"Okay, here...we...go!" Hakase said, whipping the sheet off the new model.

Chachamaru blinked once, twice, then her eyes widened. This new model...it looked real...! Like a real human woman! The headgear was drastically reduced in size and shaped to resemble a set of headphones, but otherwise...there were no seams, no indications of anything unnatural save for the lack of what Hakase constantly referred to as 'naughty bits'...! She turned to Hakase. "How...?"

"How did I do it? Well I'll tell you how! With the power of _science_!" she said, thrusting her finger up at the sky. "It took _years_ of research to pull this off! All that time we kept upgrading your bodies, we were doing research for _this_, trying to find the best materials and processes to use to make it as realistic as possible. Of course, there are _some_ drawbacks... If you use this particular model, for example, we won't be able to mount any expansion packs or weaponry or anything like that due to the ultra-realistic artificial skin and interior tissues; basically, you'll be reduced to what you can carry or strap on." She paused for a moment and adjusted her glasses so that the light reflected at Chachamaru. "Huhuhu, not that we'd just leave it at _that_ of course~" she said as she dramatically whipped the sheet off of another, much wider rack another assistant had just pushed up. "Tada~" she said excitedly as she indicated the vast amounts of weaponry hanging from the new rack. "As you can see here, we designed all of this with this new body of yours in mind!"

Chachamaru turned back to the new body while Hakase rambled on about hand held railguns, Gauss rifles, and plasma guns.

"And then, with no further ado, we arrive at _this_!" Hakase said, whipping yet another sheet off of yet another amazing invention.

Chachamaru looked at the heavy backpack, the multiple barrels, and the sheer _size_ of the thing, and gaped as her processors threatened to overload, her face grew hot, and her knees grew weak. "I...I think I am in love..."

Hakase beamed at her. "I know, right? This is the height of futuristic weapons technology! I call it..." Hakase paused here, apparently for dramatic effect. "...the Hakase Mk.3 Gatling Laser! Sweet, isn't it?"

Chachamaru stumbled over to the monstrosity and hefted the business portion of the gun. She swung it around to get a sense of its weight, and smiled pleasantly. "This is...beautiful..."

"Isn't it though?" Hakase said happily. "Of course Mk. 1 and Mk. 2 were terrible failures, but I'm sure this will do the job against anything you come up against, from True Dragons to High Vampires! It's a real beauty and probably won't even explode while you're using it!" She took the opportunity, while Chachamaru was distracted, to sidle up to her and grin slyly. "I also made a spare copy of this new body of yours with the naughty bits implemented, just in case you decide you want to...hey wait, don't point that at me! That's dangerous! Hey!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>: Yeah...this was meant to be serious, but that all sort of went away toward the end. Sorry about that. But yeah, Hakase will be Hakase, and Chachamaru is more human at this point than she ever managed to get in the manga; a little over five years has passed, after all, bringing with it all sorts of experiences and programming updates. Also, don't take it as SW3 canon that Chachamaru blew away Hakase with a gun I _TOTALLY _didn't steal from Fallout 3 and disguise with an unimaginative name change. Seriously.

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 8  
>Sisterly - 10<br>Friendship - 18  
>Crush - 10<br>Love - 18  
>H - 19<p>

Kamo's Comments:"Heeeh, look at that, eh?" *nudge nudge* "Eeeeeeh?" *nudge nudge nudge*


	12. MTNC 11 Sophie Rivers

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 11 – Sophie Rivers**

* * *

><p>Sophie had visions.<p>

Sometimes they would come to her in dreams, sometimes in meditation, and sometimes, much more rarely, they would come to her in her waking hours. This last sort of occurrence was very rare, occurring perhaps once or twice a year, and almost always when in the presence of someone with a tremendous destiny.

So when she arrived on campus two days before class started, imagine her surprise when she had vision after vision after vision involving many of the locals. Initially she shrugged it off as false visions brought on by the effects of moving away from the only home she had ever known after losing it in such a chaotic fashion, but...she had been warned of false visions by the crazy old man who had been her teacher. Cezar, as he had called himself, had warned her of the dangers people like her faced. When you had a vision, he had always said, you have a lot of things to keep in mind. Stress could cause false visions, as could allergic reactions, hallucinatory drugs, exhaustion...even something like what you ate for breakfast could cause a false vision in someone as vision-prone as she was.

She had paid attention, she had learned how to recognize false visions; these were not false visions. From the blazing crown on the young red-haired teacher's head and the massive tombstone behind his back to the blaze she saw around the big P.E. teacher to the impossible depth that tried to hypnotize her in the eyes of the young woman with the long black hair, the city was teeming with people who carried a heavy destiny.

The waking visions died off quickly, thankfully, and her roommate, a girl named Takahashi Shizuko, who had initially inspired visions of soaring through the sky, helped her to settle in. The other girl's presence was calming, something that Sophie appreciated immensely; after Cezar's death, she had had precious little to be content with.

She recorded her visions, as Cezar had suggested in the beginning, in what she called her 'Dream Journal'; her first two days in Mahora filled the first third of it. After that, luckily, the visions were reduced to the normal dream and meditation sort and began to repeat, and she finally began to relax for perhaps the first time in her life; certainly the first time she could remember.

Well, sort of.

Even without all the visions, she could tell the people in Mahora were weird. For example, where else could you take a quick afternoon walk and come across three different fight scenes? Gangs of thugs seemed to hang around every street corner in some parts of the city, but were totally absent in other parts. There were even ghosts wandering around! _Ghosts!_ There was even one that _attended class with her!_ Then there were the people who could see her when she had taken on a spirit form, like that weird dark skinned girl with the light colored hair who liked to sit in the world tree all day. The girl had snatched her out of the air and nearly given her the spiritual form's equivalent of a heart attack. It had been terrifying mostly because it had been so utterly unexpected. The only other person she had come across who could see her in that state had been Cezar. In any case the strange girl had quickly released her, and she had fled back to the small clearing in the woods where she had left her body, still in a trance as it robotically tapped a small drum. She had been so freaked out upon returning to her body that she had almost fled the clearing without collecting her gear; she _still_ didn't trust the girl enough to try speaking with her, even in her own body.

Then there was the small group of underclassmen who seemed obsessed with her and claimed she was, if she could remember correctly, 'a stunning foreign princess' or some such nonsense, not to mention the small group of rich boys from the high school who kept giving her bouquets of roses and insisted on calling her things like 'my baby' in English or 'ma petite cherie' in French, almost always mangling the pronunciation terribly in the process. She really didn't get it. At all. She would never know love; she had seen as much in her own visions. It was just the way things were, but those boys just wouldn't leave her alone...

Overall, the people of this place were _scary_. She didn't understand them at all. It didn't help much that she had always lived in rural areas, either. The constant noise and _stink_ of a city was more than a little disturbing to her, so she spent as much time as possible out in the woods or lost somewhere in the extensive tangle of footpaths that covered the campus. It let her clear her head and think, and that, she thought, was probably the only thing keeping her from going crazy at this point.

It sort of helped that her homeroom teacher was cute, too.

* * *

><p><strong>Sophie Rivers<strong>

Born - 12/23/1994

Height - 5'8"

Walking Club

Likes – forests, temperate wilderness, kids

Dislikes – cities, nosy people, her bizarre popularity, vultures

Roommate – Takahashi Shizuko

Little Known Facts – 'Rivers' isn't her real last name.

Titles: Student Number 11

Close Friends: Takahashi Shizuko

Enemies: None that she considers as an enemy

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Sophie Rivers started out as a character I made a long time ago named 'Sophie'; 'Rivers' came from a tradition in the 'Song of Ice and Fire' series where bastard children from certain areas took on certain surnames traditional in that area; such as 'Rivers'. Originally, this version of Sophie (like the original Sophie) was intended to have control of birds, but that seemed too reminiscent of Aquaman and I couldn't really think of a way to put it to any use that wouldn't be too cheesy or broken. In any case, Sophie became this withdrawn, beautiful girl who is not good with socializing. Deciphering her visions occupies most of her free time, as well as wandering around the less populated areas of the campus. How she hasn't stumbled across someone practicing magic yet is a mystery. Physically, she is a tall blonde foreigner with a high-ish ponytail and orangeish eyes. She is not particularly athletic compared to some of the others, simply because she views exercising as a chore and does only what she feels is required to keep herself healthy, preferring to spend her free time practicing her unique skills or enjoying nature.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 21 (Reiko's House 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 1

Sisterly - 3

Friendship - 3

Crush - 7

Love - 2

H - 1

Kamo's Comments: "Sorry aniki; she's got a little crush on you, but I think she'll grow out of it after a while. Totally asexual." *sigh* "It's a real shame."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Haruna's Stat Chart<span>**

Friendliness - 4

Courage - 12

Attractiveness - 18

Intelligence - 16

Athleticism - 11

Instincts - 20

Anger - 13

Loner - 20

Outgoing - 0

Popularity – 17

Attributes – beautiful foreigner, high ponytail, orange-ish eyes, blonde, tall, standoffish

Haruna's Comments: "Whoa, she's a real stunner. Those eyes are kinda weird though...anyway, she's got a terrible personality; it's almost like she doesn't want any friends or for anyone to get involved with her."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous rich boy from the high school: "Hey, mah pey-tee sherry belongs to _me_, you got it? If you don't stay away from her, I'll have to send one of my bodyguards to straighten you out, if you know what I mean."

Anonymous underclassman: "Sophie Rivers-sama?" *squee~* "She's so beautiful, just like a princess!" *squee!* "Oh look, there she is _there she is!_" *~squee~squee~squee~* "Oh look, _she's looking this way! _Wait Sophie-sama! Why are you running away? Sophie-sama? Sophie-sama! Sorry, I have to go, interviewer-san. Sophie-sama awaits!"

Miyazaki Nodoka: "Sophie-san? She comes to library sometimes to look something up, but she always gives me a strange look and walks away if I speak to her. I think...I think what she really needs is a good friend."


	13. MTNC 12 Takahashi Shizuko

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 12 – Takahashi Shizuko**

* * *

><p>1) Every night, Shizuko dreams of flying, soaring among the clouds with the endless sky above her and the ground far below. Sometimes there are others in these dreams, but mostly it's just her alone. Imagine her surprise when she entered Mahora for the first time and spotted several of those others on her very first day.<p>

2) Every day in class, Shizuko stares out the window even though she sits on the wrong side of the classroom for it. She tries to pay attention to the teachers, really she does, but nevertheless, her gaze is always drawn outside, where she can see the treetops and the sky above them.

3) Shizuko loves the world tree. Naturally an athletic person, she climbs the world tree any chance she gets; she was elated to discover others shared her enthusiasm for it as well when she found that not only did the weird light-haired foreign girl with the face tattoos spend a lot of time there, so did Caro Shaw, from class, and at least half a dozen others she knew by face if not by name.

4) Shizuko is the only person she knows who can be friends with someone for months and not even know their name.

5) She is very tall, and this has always bothered her in a superficial sort of way that she knows is silly. She is also strong, far stronger than she looks at a casual glance. Her mother always told her she was born to be a warrior, and that it was a real shame she was born in this time, in this place.

6) The first time Shizuko realized she had a fan club was when she saved a younger girl who had tried to climb up the world tree after her and had gotten stuck. The half-dozen or so other girls waiting at the bottom of the tree all but mobbed her when she climbed down with the humiliated/exuberant girl hanging on her back.

7) Art is just fun, writing lacks spirit, but calligraphy is elegant; this was Shizuko's explanation for her choice of clubs to the disappointed leaders of the art and library clubs. Elegance is something she lives for; the stark beauty of a clear blue sky, the perfect symmetry of a hawk riding on the thermals high above, the fascinating artistry of it all when a girl's long hair whips out behind her in a strong gust of wind...these things define elegance to her.

8) Shizuko has a lot of spirit. Though she may not show it in the classroom, not even the longest school day can sap her vitality. Her usual pace is a confident, fast-paced stride. This is a trait she received from her parents, both of whom have big dreams they do their best to chase after.

9) Justice is important; Shizuko knows this. The wicked must be punished or otherwise prevented from harming the innocent. This was the motivating factor behind Shizuko's decision to kick a member of a particularly notorious motorcycle gang in the groin for harassing a girl from another school before she transferred to Mahora. Her mother was with her at the time, and after she stopped laughing, helped Shizuko to beat up the gang members when they came for retaliation.

10) _In the very end, at the final battle, Shizuko couldn't help but grin, even in this trying time, as she mounted up for battle. This was the way she should live; she knew it down to the depths of her soul. The people out there fighting depended upon her for protection, and she would see that they had it if it was the last thing she ever did. She paused for a moment, holding her helmet idly, looking at it. A __light breeze blew in and she smiled softly as it washed over her face. She handed the helmet back to the confused attendant. "I think I'll go without it, today," she says, smiling as she looks back out at the sky. She undoes the complicated bun holding her long black hair in place and shakes it out. She knees her mount in his flanks and he snorts his version of a laugh back at her, and they're off. She lets the wind run over her face, through her hair, and then they're moving forward and she reluctantly puts the magic wind barrier spells in place. The enemy is here; there is no time to waste. She raises her weapon and rushes to meet them. Even if she dies today, she has a feeling she'll find herself here again. To her, this is heaven._

* * *

><p><strong>Takahashi Shizuko<strong>

Born - 2/5/1995

Height - 5'11"

Calligraphy Club

Likes – Elegant, beautiful things

Dislikes – her height

Roommate – Sophie Rivers

Little Known Facts – She loves videogames, especially racing games and fighter plane sims

Titles: Student Number 12

Close Friends: Caro Shaw, Zazie Rainyday, Sophie Rivers

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Takahashi Shizuko was created for the sole purpose of bringing someone with a fancy-sounding name into the class; her personality and looks grew quickly from this, and she is now one of my favorite characters. Physically, she's based on every tall, pretty Japanese Ojou-sama type character I've ever seen, but her personality is something totally different. She is very tall, 5'11", and, for the sake of comparison, is built much like Tatsumiya Mana. She has long black hair and dark brown eyes, and looks oddly half Japanese in a very good way. She looks like she would be more at ease in an evening dress at a fancy party than standing on a rooftop or climbing trees, and while she could definitely pull off the former, she would much prefer the latter. Her personality is quite confusing to most people when they first meet her. She appears to be quite independent and self assured, and yet is skittish and likely to bolt when forced into conversation by someone she doesn't know. This, combined with her tendency to daydream and do random cloudgazing has given her a reputation as being rather...odd; the vast majority of people she meets dismiss her as having her head hopelessly stuck in the clouds, but once in a while she will do something or say something that will make those around her pause and wonder if they've underestimated her.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 5 (Settling In)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 10

Sisterly - 10

Friendship - 8

Crush - 1

Love - 0

H - 0

Kamo's Comments: "This girl's pretty out there, aniki. Something about her, though...I think you should make a pactio with her as soon as possible, just to keep her away from other mages if for nothing else."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 17

Courage - 19

Attractiveness - 17

Intelligence - 16

Athleticism - 18

Instincts - 19

Anger - 7

Loner - 14

Outgoing - 10

Popularity – 16

Attributes – Tall girl, distant, nothing is impossible, long hair, elegance, hidden strength

Haruna's Comments: "Okay, who broke the stat meter? This is getting ridiculous...! Now I don't get this girl, but then again, neither does anyone else.

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Takahata: "Shizuko-kun? She's a good girl; I am curious to see the adult she becomes."

Underclassman member of the 'We love Shizuko-sama, Yay~' Brigade: "Shizuko-sama is the best! Why? Well...um...she just is! She pretty and smart and so dreamy and and kyaa~ I love her so much I can't stand it!"

Classmate Suzuki Keiko: "Shizuko-san...she's very quiet and intelligent, but not the same way I am. I get the feeling she will be able to do anything she wants for a living when she gets older. She's...confident."


	14. MTNC 13 Ono Ran

**Note**: This chapter is rated M for language and dark themes

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 13 – Ono Ran<strong>

* * *

><p>Ran first realized she was different from the other kids in daycare when she realized they had to open their mouths to speak. No matter how hard she sent her emotions or thoughts at them, they simply didn't understand her intent, though she could tell what they were thinking right away. Of course, she was only four so she really didn't understand, but she <em>did<em> understand enough to realize that normal kids didn't do what she did, and that it would probably be a good idea to not talk about it to them, or especially to the adults.

* * *

><p>Ono Ran's first experience with a pervert was eye opening to say the least. There was nothing physical about it; he hadn't even come within twenty feet of where she sat on the front porch while her mother tended the flowers that grew in front of the house. The man's thoughts had simply brushed up against hers as he walked along, bringing with them an oily sensation that conjured up images of creepy, slimy things dredged up from the depths of the ocean. Ran had initially recoiled, drawing attention from her mother and some of the neighbors who happened to be out on the street, and the pervert had glanced over at her. What went through his mind then had been, well... Initially, Ran had been confused. After all, socks? But as the man's imagination quickly built up the image, confusion had turned to horror and disgust, and then-six year old Ran had almost cried out in horrified indignation; even at her age she could recognize the man's thoughts were disgusting. Seven heads had swung in unison and seven pairs of eyes had fastened unflinchingly on the pervert before he realized how creepy that particular street had become and hurried on his way. When he was gone, her mother and the neighbors all looked around, confused for a moment, and then continued on with whatever they had been doing before.<p>

* * *

><p>Ran was the only child of a salaryman and a housewife, the traditional Japanese family. They lived in a small but nice house on a residential side street and had their own small yard and a car in the garage, and they both loved her very much; Ran knew this because she could feel it when she looked at them. She didn't like it when they argued, which, strangely enough, gave them both terrible migraines only a minute or two into the fight that would often leave both of them collapsed on the floor for hours. Once in a while, when she wanted something sweet to eat, one of the neighbors would bring over a cake or a batch of cookies, and she would sit happily munching away while the neighbor wandered off, looking confused. All of this was normal for Ran. Her parents loved her, the neighbors she saw every day loved her, and so it came as a huge shock when the children at school not only didn't listen to her, but were actually <em>mean<em> to her.

Ran got really, truly angry for the first time in her life. The boy who seemed to be the ringleader jerked, his muscles spasming as he jerkily turned around and walked out of the playground, across the sidewalk, and out into the road, where he paused and turned to look at an oncoming car. The boy was terrified, crying silently as his body refused to respond as the car rushed down upon him. If the driver hadn't managed to slow down in time, the boy would never have survived the impact. As it was, he got a nasty bump and had to go to a hospital for some tests, and Ran realized with horror just what she was capable of. After that incident, she stayed away from the other children.

* * *

><p>A year passed, then two, and Ran sank further into her self-imposed mental exile from other people. She came to realize what she had been doing to her parents and neighbors for the past eight years and discovered one nightmarish day this simple fact: <em>she couldn't make them go back to the way they were before.<em> She had unknowingly twisted their minds until her neighbors all cared for her like their own children, in some cases _more_ than their own children; and her parents...her parents were the worst of all. They no longer had any hopes or dreams or even original thoughts of their own; their only purpose in life at this point, in _being alive_, was to make her happy.

To say she took this discovery hard would be like saying the middle of winter in the northern Ukraine could be a bit chilly.

Ran thought, for the very first time, of killing herself that day.

* * *

><p>Ran was ten years old, and had already become jaded. Her father had died in a traffic accident the year before, but as expected the neighbors had showered her with money, which her mother used to pay the bills and buy her nice things. People whom she hadn't unwittingly forced into becoming single-minded automatons over years of mental and emotional pressure were no less disturbing; she was hurting inside, and drew out similar emotions in those around her. Initially it wasn't that bad, but negativity fed upon negativity and her mind took a turn for the dark. The kids at school didn't like her, the teachers were all disappointed in the students or their jobs or spent their time contemplating the attractive school nurse's rear end. The principal himself kept an album of pictures of female students and a bag of some sort of plant he smoked when he thought no one was around. Boys thought about girls, girls thought about boys, heartbreak, hatred, and lust were everywhere, and thanks to Ran's presence, the negativity gained weight until the whole school turned into a dreadful pit of vile wickedness that left her stomach churning at every step. Everything came to a head when one female student, who simply couldn't take it anymore, jumped from the school roof early one morning and landed a few feet in front of Ran as she walked up to the entrance. As she stood there, stunned, looking down at the fallen girl's still-warm body as it twitched, the mood of the other students went overwhelmingly black, and Ran fainted.<p>

She woke up some time later, propped up against a wall in the hallway; no one had been able to come up out of the blackness long enough to carry her to the nurse's office. She heard a distant thump and dragged herself to her feet. She was staggering along the hallway toward the big double doors, using the wall as a support, when she heard another thump from outside, and another a second or two later. She made it to the doors and pushed one open.

She thought the boy was sleeping, at first. He lay curled in the fetal position on the ground, and it wasn't until she stepped through the doorway that she saw the others. Dozens and dozens of students lay on the ground along the wall, and even as she watched, another girl, this one a short, somewhat homely girl from her homeroom, hit the ground hard and bounced.

Ran's gaze shot to the roof and her momentary shock vanished.

They were up on the roof; all of them. Students, teachers, janitors, the pretty school nurse, all crowding around the safety railing, each of them waiting for their turn. She tried to cry out, to stop them somehow, but the blackness had grown too deep; their souls were empty.

Emergency workers found her there, collapsed in front of the school, two hours later.

* * *

><p>Ran became aware of herself almost six weeks later in a clean white room with the beeping of various pieces of monitoring equipment letting her know she was in a hospital of some sort. She realized she could feel other people around her, and flinched as the madness in the very walls of the building tried to overwhelm her.<p>

She didn't know when she had started, but she realized she was crying and curled up on her side in the bed, her eyes clamped shut, her hands pressed tightly over her ears in a fruitless attempt to keep the insanity of the other patients out of her mind.

A nurse came in a moment later, found her there, and rushed back outside to alert the doctors.

* * *

><p>Life in the mental hospital was not pleasant; for the first month after she woke, it was all Ran could do just to keep her mind from letting go and merging with the frenzy of madness that surrounded her; the hospital she was in had a long, long history, and had served thousands upon thousands of people with mental illnesses varying from mild to mind-shattering, and she could feel it all.<p>

She learned from a reluctant nurse that her whole school had committed mass suicide, as had most of the people on the street where she lived along with quite a few random people out in the city. Her mother was dead, as was everyone else she had ever known, along with a great many she didn't who had simply been caught up in the madness of the situation. It was more than any girl her age should have had to bear. It almost broke her, and but for the help of one particular nurse, it probably would have.

* * *

><p>Kuroi Yuina was an oddity among the nurses at the hospital. Energetic and rebellious, prone to sneakiness and pretty with her short skirt, labcoat, and long black hair so much like Ran's own; where the other nurses were bland and mundane in every way, her personality shone so brightly that Ran was almost startled out of the blackness that threatened to swallow her soul.<p>

And Ran couldn't read her.

For the first time in her life, Ran had stumbled upon someone she couldn't read. It was more confusing than anything else, and she wanted to know why; but she couldn't ask, because then she would _really_ look crazy. Nevermind that she probably already was, but still, how would her favorite nurse react if she asked why she couldn't hear her thoughts or feel her emotions? She'd probably give her a weird look and never come back, and that was something Ran thought she would never be able to stand.

When the friendly young woman burst through her door one day, smiling away at her, Ran almost blurted out the question, but ultimately held back. If she was going to ask, she had to find a way to make herself not look crazy first. If she could prove it to the nurse, then...

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday, Ran-chan!" Yuina said, presenting her with a cupcake that held a single candle.<p>

Ran blinked at the cupcake, looked at the wickedly grinning nurse, and hesitantly took the cupcake and blew out the candle.

"It's your birthday today," Yuina said as she went around the room, straightening things out. She picked up the sketchbook Ran had been drawing in and raised her eyebrow, silently asking if she could look in it. Ran nodded shyly and looked away. She couldn't care less that it was her birthday; she had actually forgotten, to tell the truth. What she was more concerned about was the test she was giving her favorite nurse at this very moment. She trained her gaze on the wall and waited, praying from the bottom of her heart that the woman would have some sort of reaction to what she had drawn in the sketchbook they had given her. She had poured her heart and soul into those drawings, maybe...

The nurse glanced at the first few pages, which contained the usual pointless, badly drawn doodles expected of most patients who request a sketchbook, moved on a few pages, and paused. After a moment, she moved on to the next page and paused again. This went on for quite some time, and Ran hunched down a little bit more with each turn of the page.

Ran listened as the nurse turned to the last page she had drawn on and paused for a very, very long time. She gently closed the sketchbook without bothering to check any pages after that. Ran was surprised; most of the time when a nurse or doctor glanced at her sketchbook, they just scanned through the whole thing, spending no more than a second or two on each picture, and making sure to check every page all the way to the end, probably to see if she had hidden anything there.

"Ran-chan," Yuina said quietly.

Ran hunched down a little more.

"You feel trapped, don't you?" she said as she moved over to the other side of the bed and sat down beside Ran. She put an arm around her shoulders in a reassuring hug, and allowed Ran to lay her head on her shoulder.

"Mm-hmm," Ran replied, not trusting to actual words.

"Blackness, everywhere, tainting everything. It's thick, soupy, like ink," the nurse began, and Ran stiffened, trying to jerk away, but Yuina wouldn't let her. The woman kept her arm comfortingly around Ran's shoulders as she looked off into the distance, grinning absently as she seemed to recall something. "That's right, you know exactly what I'm talking about," the nurse said softly. "You felt it that day, at the school."

Ran nodded slightly.

"Does it feel like you're lost in it?"

Ran nodded again, and moisture started to build in her eyes.

The nurse nodded ruefully. "I know the feeling, I had to deal with it myself, a long time ago" she paused, then smiled crookedly. "People like us will always have to deal with it," she said.

Ran's eyes opened wide and she pulled herself away so she could look at the nurse. "You-"

Yuina looked at her sideways and grinned a crooked smile, managing to look both amused and wise at the same time.

Ran just sat there, stunned, as she looked at the nurse she had been afraid would think she was crazy. "Y-you know about...how? I mean..."

Yuina gave a bit more honest smile at that. "I know you better than you know yourself, Ran-chan. Besides, you've been screaming it out for weeks now. So, do you want to know how to make it through the blackness?"

Ran nodded. She didn't quite trust herself to speak.

Yuina stood up, pulling her to her feet. She was quite tall; the top of Ran's head barely reached her shoulders. "Give me your hands, Ran-chan."

They stood there, holding each others' hands, and Yuina looked down at Ran's frightened eyes and smiled gently. "It will be all right. Now concentrate on the blackness, but don't let it overwhelm you. Remember, I'm here with you, Ran-chan; I've done this before."

* * *

><p>The blackness was everywhere, thick, oily, terrifying in the way it hid everything from her. She heard Yuina's voice.<p>

"Ran-chan? Can you hear me?"

"Y-yes," Ran said. She looked around, but couldn't see anything in the dark.

"It really is a mess in here..." the nurse said thoughtfully. Ran got the impression she was shaking her head in mild annoyance.

"Where are you?" Ran asked as she looked around. The nurse sounded as if she was standing right beside her, but was nowhere to be found.

"I'm here, I've always been here," she said. "You've just forgotten about me, that's all."

Ran frowned. "What do you mean?"

Yuina seemed to ignore the question. "Ran-chan, I need you to listen to me, okay? This blackness isn't what you think it is."

Ran frowned. What...? "What do you mean?" she demanded.

"What do you think the blackness is?"

Ran started to reply, but paused. What _did_ she think the blackness was? It was scary, stifling, horrible...it was...

"You've allowed yourself to be blinded by negativity, Ran-chan; I'm going to help you see."

Ran looked around. "...Yuina-san? What do you mean? What's happening?"

Yuina laughed, a pleasant sound. "You have been so wrapped up in the suffering of others, building it up in your mind for so long...oh Ran-chan, you've been pretty stupid, haven't you? Then again, so was I, back then."

"W-well how do you expect me to ignore it?" Ran demanded pitifully.

"Simple," Yuina replied. "You're so obsessed with the dark and the pain of others. Why?"

"I...I want to help them..."

Yuina laughed aloud at that. "Oh Ran-chan, you really _are_ an idiot. You can't help them. _Nobody_ can. The only one you can count on to help you is yourself! At least, with things like that. You should know this by now. When you try to interfere with others' mental problems, it usually has bad results; I found that out the hard way." A pause. "Boy _did_ I."

"Yuina-san? Yuina-san, where are you?" Ran demanded, turning around in the dark as she tried to locate the woman. She realized something about the blackness was changing; it wasn't quite as stifling as before.

"Right here, Ran-chan," a voice said from behind her. Ran whirled around to face the woman and found herself looking at a mirror.

"W...what?"

The reflection smiled at her. "You really _are_ stupid, but then again, I guess that makes me stupid too, doesn't it?" it asked. It continued before Ran could respond. "Well, I guess you understand what's going on by now, right? The blackness isn't bad, dark isn't evil. There is nothing you can do directly to help others; the only one you can help is yourself. It's a free for all."

Ran stumbled back, shaking her head in a fruitless attempt to clear it. "N...no, you can't be..."

The reflection smiled happily. "Come on, Ran. Wise up, it's not _all_ bad; it's not even half bad. I was you before you were born, you're just the next in line for this soul, that's all. Come on, say it with me, Ran!"

Something in her mind clicked into place and Ran's eyes widened. Something began to glow behind her, and the stifling blackness receded into the far, far distance, opening up a world of space. "But..."

The reflection was standing right in front of her. It reached out and took her hand, smiling, and moved to stand beside her. "You know the words! You have to; I do, and now I've become you, after all. Come on, scream as loud as you can! Ready?" She smiled at her as the glow behind the two of them became blindingly bright, took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs out into the blackness, "_FUCK 'EM ALL!"_

* * *

><p>Ran jerked awake to find herself lying in her hospital bed, with no sign of Yuina. And, now that she thought about it, the pretty, kind nurse had probably never existed in the first place. And...the suffering of past patients was no longer drowning everything else out. She sat up, feeling oddly light, and looked at the sketchbook she had apparently been drawing in when she fell asleep. She opened it up, glanced through a few pages, and looked wonderingly at the drawings that had once been so full of meaning to her, reduced to childish scribbles and smudges of color now that she was thinking clearly again. She went from page to page, feeling oddly amused to recall how much effort she had put into each of these drawings, until she finally reached the last page that had been used. On it, she saw a drawing of much higher quality she didn't recognize.<p>

In the picture, a young woman with a gnarled staff and long black hair stood upon a windswept hilltop, looking at a receding storm in satisfaction. The clouds above had rolled back to reveal a sky full of stars, and the shading hinted at a sunrise from behind the viewer. A sentence had been scrawled at the bottom in an unfamiliar hand: 'Fuck 'em all!'

Ran climbed out of bed and carefully removed the drawing from the sketchbook. She placed it into a spare folder in the desk they had put into her room, and tossed the sketchbook in the trash. She wouldn't be needing it ever again. For the first time she could remember, she felt...free. The madness of previous patients here still screamed at her from every fiber in the rug, every inch of wallpaper, but...she could deal with it. It was no longer the overwhelming nightmare it had been before.

"I'm...free..." she said quietly. The blackness was still there, deep in her mind, but she recalled Yuina's words: 'The blackness isn't bad, dark is not evil.' Something about that...she smiled slightly. She would be okay. She wouldn't allow others' troubles to overwhelm her. She had inadvertently caused the deaths of several hundred people; she knew she could never make it up to them, but she would do her best to keep it from happening again. That was her responsibility. Dark was not evil, the blackness was not bad. She swept her long black hair out of her face and looked out the window. The sun was rising. She blinked and turned away, looking over her room. She would need little of what was here when she left. And she _would_ be leaving soon; she no longer needed this place. She would go to school, she would be a normal girl. Well, as normal as a girl like her could be, anyway. She would need someone to function as a guardian; she vaguely recalled that her mother had had several brothers and sisters. Perhaps one of them would agree to send her to a boarding school...? She had no wish to impose on any of her distant family members by actually moving in with them; the ability to send money for school costs would be much more palatable than making up a spare room in order to move what amounted to a stranger into one's home. Who knows? Perhaps the relatives could all chip in to lessen the financial impact on all of them.

Dark was not evil, the blackness was not bad; words to live by. She would have to remember that. She was now eleven years old and all but alone in the world, but...she would make it. She looked back out at the sunrise and smiled. Yes, she would help those she could, but she wouldn't allow others' pain to overwhelm her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Ono Ran<strong>

Born - 8/29/1994

Height - 5'1"

Fortune Telling Club

Likes - meditation

Dislikes – crowded places, touchy-feely people

Roommate – Yoshida Ume

Little Known Facts – She enjoys late night anime

Titles: Student Number 13

Close Friends: Kotobuki Minami and Mari, the other two members of the Fortune Telling Club

Enemies: There is no one she considers an enemy.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Heh, one third of the 'Creepy Trio' alongside Sato Gin and Mako Sylvester, Ono Ran is by far the most screwed up of the three. Or she was, anyway. As of SW3, she has become quite stable and happy with her progress. Ono Ran was created to invoke the stereotypical 'creepy girl with long black hair' thing the Japanese have going on; think The Ring, only without all the creepy crawling-through-the-television-screen weirdness. Ran is wise way beyond her years, and is not someone you want to mess with, in spite of her somewhat frail appearance. If sufficiently provoked, she can mindrape a normal person into a pitiful, weeping little ball of angst in seconds. Luckily, she's not the sort that likes doing that sort of thing to people, even those who may deserve it; she knows what it feels like after all, and would never wish such a thing upon anyone. Also luckily, perhaps, having knowledge of her ability, a well adjusted personality, or a strong will makes it much, much harder for her to do such a thing since it's based around invading the victim's mind, riffling through the person's thoughts and memories, finding the hidden darkness underneath it all, and blowing it out of proportion. Mind reading is just a side affect, really; that and her keen grasp of the way people work means that most of the time she can tell a person what they're likely to be doing throughout the day. Recently this has grown into a slight bit of true prescience related to the people she reads as well. She's still young and inexperienced; she has a way to go before she can live up to her full potential. Also, just to clear something up about the nurse...she _is _a real person, not a secondary personality of Ran's. As for what she's doing in Ran's head, well...that's a spoiler.

Appearances: First Appearance: Chapter 6 (Magical Girl Kagamin), Chapter 8 (Preparations)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 12

Sisterly - 8

Friendship - 6

Crush - 2

Love - 0

H - 0

Kamo's Comments: "Ooh, this one's got protective feelings for you, aniki. Looks like a good chance to get another partner. She's kinda creepy, though..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 10

Courage - 20

Attractiveness - 10

Intelligence - 15

Athleticism - 1

Instincts - 20

Anger - 10

Loner - 12

Outgoing - 11

Popularity – 6

Attributes – creepy girl, long black hair, loner, short girl

Haruna's Comments: "Hmm...not much to look at, but her instincts are top notch and she's not afraid of anything; that power of hers, whatever it is, is absolutely terrifying, too. Looks like she'd be pretty good with the right training."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

President of the Fortune Telling Club, Kotobuki Minami: "Ran's one of my friends, and she's the best friend I've ever had. If you're trying to hurt her..." *raises fist threateningly*

Konoe Konoka: "Oh, Ran-chan, right? Well, I know she's in the Fortune Telling Club, and they say she's very good! I'm curious; I want to see what she will say about my future~"

Sakai Reiko: "Ran? She's the real thing. It'd be better if you left her alone, unless you want to be told something you don't want to hear."


	15. MTNC 14 Yoshida Ume

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 14 – Yoshida Ume**

* * *

><p>Ume shifted the grocery bags to a more comfortable position as she fished out her keys and fumbled through them. She didn't bother knocking; she could tell by a glance at the side of the house that her mother wasn't here. She fumbled the key into the lock and opened the door a moment later. She paused at the entryway and put down her bags in order to take off her shoes, making sure to organize the tangled heap of footwear that belonged to her mother. As she had thought, her mother's riding boots were gone. She sighed, picked up her bags, and headed for the kitchen.<p>

As usual, it was a mess. The garbage can was overflowing and a half eaten cup of instant ramen sat forgotten on the table. She put the groceries up and noted with satisfaction that at least the dishes were already done. They had been left in the rack to dry, however, so she rolled her eyes and put them up too. She checked the fridge, noting with pride that her mother had managed to not leave it a mess this time. She tidied up around the kitchen and took out the garbage. When she returned, she went to the laundry room and began sorting the clothes to be washed.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Ume heard the sound of her mother's motorcycle returning and perked up. She checked the cake in the oven, nodded to herself, and continued washing the few dishes she had dirtied. A few minutes later, she heard a hesitant knock on the door and couldn't help but grin. Her mother was so nervous she knocked on her own door? She put down her towel and walked to the entryway, straightened her apron, and opened the door.<p>

The woman on the other side of the door was quite attractive, just the right sort of curvy, and short, shorter than Ume, even, who was considered quite short herself. She looked at her daughter sheepishly and waved. "Er...hi, Ume-chan?"

Ume couldn't help but smile. "Hello, mother." She moved aside to allow her to enter. "Shoes!" she said sharply when it looked like her mother was about to go past the entryway without taking them off.

"Er...sorry."

Ume waited until her mother had put on her house slippers before continuing. "You washed the dishes," she said.

Again, her mother looked very sheepish. "Yeah..."

"You didn't put them away, though."

"Eh heh...heh..."

Ume went back into the kitchen while her mother idled around in the family room. She loved her mother, really she did, but the woman simply had no concept of propriety. She shook her head as she checked the cake with a toothpick and removed it from the oven.

"What's the cake for?" her mother asked suddenly from the doorway.

Ume glanced back at her, then back to the cake, which she placed on a potholder on the table. "Your birthday's on Wednesday. I can't make it then because I'll be at school, so I thought..." she said, trailing off as she looked anywhere but at her mother.

"Er...thanks..." her mother said. Ume turned to look at her, and her mother came closer and hugged her. Ume hugged her back, and they stood in silence for a moment.

"Look, I know I wasn't always there for you when you needed it, but-"

"That's right," Ume said without bitterness. "You're like a rebellious teenager who only wants to play. But you're still my mother, and I love you anyway. Daddy, though..." she said grimly, her knuckles going white as she twisted the potholder she was still holding.

"Yes...your father..." her mother said, fury growing on her pretty face until her expression was a mirror image of her daughter's.

"That bastard, how dare he run off with another woman!" both declared venomously in sync. "He's the worst kind of man!"

* * *

><p>That evening, they ate the cake and Ume washed the dishes again. She made dinner for the two of them, then carefully wrapped up the leftovers for her mother to eat later in the week.<p>

"How's your job going?" Ume asked as she prepared to leave.

Her mother shuffled her feet for a moment. "...I don't think I'm cut out to be a secretary. The boss tried to feel me up and I broke his nose."

Ume sighed. "...looking for a new job?"

Her mother sighed as well. "...yeah."

Ume shook her head. "What a jerk. He got what he deserved!"

Her mother nodded. "Damn straight!"

They stood there at the door awkwardly for a moment.

"Well..." Ume said.

"Thanks for the cake, it was good."

Ume smiled a little. "You're welcome. Sorry I can't be here on your birthday, but...good luck on the job search."

Her mother grinned and shook her head. "Thanks, I'll need it. Will you be back next Sunday?"

"Yes, unless I have to study," Ume confirmed as she put on her shoes. "See you then. And remember to clean up after yourself!"

"Heh, yeah, yeah. Bye," her mother said.

Ume opened the door and stepped outside into the rapidly fading sunlight. She closed the door behind her and walked out to the sidewalk, humming a tune as she went. She glanced back once at the house, but there was nothing to see so she kept going toward the train station.

What would her friends say if they knew her mother had once been part of a female biker gang? She smiled as she continued on. They probably wouldn't believe it at all; Ume had taken great pains to make sure she became a stable, dependable person. She did have to remind herself to keep her anger under control often, though...

Her cell phone buzzed so she pulled it out and looked at the time, ignoring the text from the Cooking Club president. Almost eight o'clock...better hurry back before she broke curfew.

* * *

><p><strong>Yoshida Ume<strong>

Born - 5/17/1994

Height - 5'

Cooking Club

Likes – peace and quiet, the smell of cinnamon, late night anime

Dislikes – horror movies, romance movies

Roommate – Ono Ran

Little Known Facts – While she is not at all bothered by the sight of blood, something jumping out will make her scream.

Titles: Student Number 14

Close Friends: She considers the entire class to be her friends

Enemies: Too many to list, but mostly pushy guys in town, annoying girls in school, and her father, who ran off with another woman. "He's the worst kind of man!"

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Yoshida Ume (who?)...This girl was the plainest, most underdeveloped character in the class for a long, long time. I couldn't think of anything for her to do other than be in the Cooking Club, until one day I had an epiphany: 'Wouldn't it be interesting if her parents were total delinquents?' Her mother and father were members of two biker gangs who met and fell in love. Ume was born, and a few years later her father ran away with another woman and her mother was forced to quit being a biker gang member and look for a real job. Judging by her personality in this little story, Ume's inherited some of the biker gang personality from her parents, and it occasionally shows through her attempts to live a normal, civilized life; it probably wouldn't be a good idea to make her mad. Physically, she's short and while not ugly, is not as attractive as most of the other girls. She's not very athletic at all, but is a healthy weight. Basically, she's just an average fourteen/fifteen year old girl. She has dark brown neck-length hair and light brown eyes, and prefers plain, simple clothing and cute hairclips, and often wears knee length print skirts and short jackets or vests around town; think something like what Aeris/Aerith wears in Final Fantasy 7. She tends to give the impression of making a good housewife some day; or at least, she does to people who don't know her family and her personality around them. The few who do often wonder why she isn't leading her own biker gang.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 7 (Club Visits)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 3

Sisterly - 7

Friendship - 9

Crush - 3

Love - 4

H - 4

Kamo's Comments: "Looks like she'd be a fairly dependable ally; can't say she's much to look at though..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 15

Courage - 18

Attractiveness - 7

Intelligence - 13

Athleticism - 1

Instincts - 18

Anger - 18

Loner - 14

Outgoing - 9

Popularity – 10

Attributes – Nice girl, bad temper, short girl, plain, good housewife, hidden scary side

Haruna's Comments: "Yeah...you'd better be careful if you're going to have her join up with us. She's got a terrible temper, and my research shows she's come from a long line of gangsters, gamblers, and soldiers, all the way back to a bastard child of the treacherous Akechi Mitsuhide, who betrayed Oda Nobunaga, on her mother's side. Yeah...anyway, her instincts are incredibly sharp and she's brave enough to face anything that comes her way; the problem is that she hasn't trained her body at all. If she can work on that, I can't think of anyone who would enjoy facing her in a serious fight.

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Classmate and Fellow Cooking Club Member Mochizuki Kagami: "Yoshida? She's okay I guess. Keeps to herself, mostly."

Badly Scarred Ex-Biker-Gang-Chief: "Yoshida, Yoshida...where have I heard that name? Oh yeah, now I remember! The Terror of Tokyo Bay, the Slayer of Saitama herself married a guy by the name of Yoshida. They had a kid, and then the bastard ran off with another woman. How can he call himself a man? !"

Kugimiya Madoka: "You mean that quiet girl in Negi's class is related to _them_? Wow...I never would've thought it. I mean she's got a temper and all, but...wow. You've piqued my curiosity."


	16. MTNC 15 Possum Cade

Meet the New Class – Student number 15 – Possum Cade

* * *

><p>When school finally let out, Possum heaved a sigh of relief. The school day had been <em>brutal<em>. While she understood conversational Japanese just fine (even a few of the more bizarre dialects, in fact), textbook Japanese was still a mystery to her. It didn't help that her kanji recognition was still pretty bad. It was incredibly annoying how the substitution of a squiggle for a box completely changed the meaning of the kanji...

She wandered out into the big flat space in front of the school and paused, looking around as she tried to figure out what to do with the rest of her day. Normally she would have hung out with Taro for a few hours, but Taro had gotten in trouble during P.E. for fighting with an upperclassman (AGAIN), and so had gotten detention.

Her classmate Kara Stride nodded at her as she went by on her way to her club meeting, and Possum nodded in return. Both Americans, they had struck up a quick, if quiet, friendship almost upon their first meeting. Each trusted the other's judgment, and after an incident in the city with an AV scout targeting Kara, the two of them felt they could trust each other to watch their backs. Possum had been elated to find another kindred spirit, but it quickly turned out that the two of them had very little in common beyond that.

Possum glanced toward the building that housed her own club's room, but the Kickboxing Club wasn't meeting; it was supposed to be an off day. She sighed again and decided to go out into the city.

* * *

><p>Possum waved to a girl sweeping off the front step of the small restaurant she worked at, and the girl smiled and waved back. Possum continued on, waving or sharing a few words with the people she recognized, and stopped briefly at a used game shop to see if anything would catch her eye. There was nothing worthwhile, so she bid goodbye to the clerk, who reacted with a laugh, and left the store.<p>

'Ah, what to do, what to do...' Possum thought to herself as she stood on the sidewalk in front of the game shop.

"You! There you are! You won't escape me this time, I challenge you to a duel!"

Possum rolled her eyes and turned to look at the fired up young man standing behind her. "Seriously, Jirou? I beat you what, five times already? Just give up, it's not gonna happen," she said, grinning at him.

Jirou swept his spiky hair out of his eyes and snorted in amusement as he crossed his arms. "This time won't be like the others! Come! We will enter mortal combat!" he said, his fiery personality going far toward making up for the utter cheesiness of the line.

Possum rolled her eyes, but followed him anyway. She wondered what new trick Jirou had discovered...it must really be something to give him the confidence to challenge her again after what had happened the last time.

Jirou led her through alleys and across deserted streets until they finally entered the warehouse district. He led the way between warehouses and over fences until they finally arrived at the location of a warehouse that had burned down several years before. The rubble had been cleared from the foundation, but the warehouse had never been rebuilt. Possum looked around at the wide, flat foundation and whistled. "Nice! Must've been hard to find, though."

Jirou shrugged. "What can I say, I have connections. Now," he said, reverting back to his hotheaded self and took a modified Karate stance. "Are you ready to fight?"

Possum shrugged and grinned halfheartedly, and took a kickboxing stance. "Sure. Ready when you are."

Jirou nodded. "Very well." He waited.

Possum waited.

Jirou waited.

Possum waited.

Jirou waited.

"What are we waiting for?" Possum asked.

"...a leaf to fall. Or something," Jirou replied. He waited.

"Pfft, pwahahaha...!" She knew it was mean, but she couldn't help but laugh at that. Good old Jirou. The guy had based his life on shounen anime stereotypes of the hotheaded fighter protagonist, and even went around dressed like Ryu from Streetfighter once in a while. The normally jovial guy was just one of many...unique...personalities to be found in Mahora, as she had long ago discovered.

Jirou looked mildly offended at her outburst of laughter. "Come on, it's not _that_ bad, is it?"

Possum smiled hugely at him. "'Fraid so. That was pretty bad."

Jirou slumped. "Ugh...and I practiced all night, too. But anyway!" he said, perking up and going back into a stance. "That's beside the point! We have a duel!"

Possum had just taken her stance when a man strolled out of the next warehouse down, idly swinging a bicycle chain. She could tell by the annoyed look on Jirou's face that someone had stepped out of the warehouse behind her as well.

"How many?" she asked quietly as she watched more people appear.

"Seven," Jirou replied, all but glowering at the intruders. "You?"

"Nine," Possum said. "You up to it?"

"When have I ever _not_ been?" he replied.

"Okay then. Should we at least see what they want first?"

Jirou dropped his stance and shrugged. "Sure."

Almost as if on cue, Possum and Jirou spun on their heels to face the armed men behind them.

"So, who are you lot," Possum demanded. "Can't you see we were about to fight?"

"Yeah! Who the hell do you think we are?" Jirou bellowed.

A remarkably tall shirtless bald man stepped out of the shadows on Jirou's side, clapping slowly. "Well done, Jirou. You brought her right to us."

"What...?" Jirou muttered. Possum heard the confusion in his voice and frowned.

"You know this guy, Jirou?"

Jirou shook his head. "Never seen him before. You?"

Possum took a quick look and shook her head. "Nope." They shifted their positions smoothly so that Possum was facing the ringleader and Jirou was watching the rest. "So, what'd I ever do to you? Did I beat up your little brother? Turn down your boyfriend?" She said this last with a condescending smirk calculated to drive him into a rage. To her admiration, the bald man smiled crookedly and shook his head.

"No, this isn't about you in particular; this is about your girlfriend, the Street Sweeper," he said as he drew a butterfly knife from his pocket and began flipping it around.

Possum gave the man a curious look. He was gunning for her best friend Taro? It wasn't much of a surprise, really; lots of people like this bald guy were after Taro. "You know, you could've just gone after her without going through all the trouble to set this up," she said.

"So you guys fed this location to my friend so I would challenge her here?" Jirou asked incredulously.

The bald guy smirked as he closed in, still flipping the butterfly knife. The thugs he had brought with him were coming closer as well.

"So, what do you wanna do, Jirou?" Possum asked.

"You kiddin me? I say we beat the hell out of 'em," Jirou said hotly.

"Heh, thought so," Possum replied. "I've got Baldy."

"Fine by me. He was after you anyway."

"'Kay."

The bald man was talking now, still flipping the butterfly knife. "-right? So when she sees we've cut you up some, she'll come right out and-" Possum never found out what the bald man thought Taro would come out and do, because the toe of her shoe buried itself in his groin, the butterfly knife went flying, and he doubled over with a horrific little whine echoed by every male present, Jirou included, as well as several who weren't even at the scene, such as Baldy's father, living up in Akita Prefecture, who had a sudden terrible feeling his bloodline had just dried up.

Possum nailed him in the back of the head with her heel as he knelt on the ground, and then turned to the nearest armed thug, who looked decidedly green. He dragged his eyes from his fallen leader and looked at Possum, who grinned ferociously.

"M...mama..."

"Sorry, not your mama. You can tell her I said hello when she visits you in the hospital, though," Possum said as she shot forward, knocked his baseball bat out of his hand up into the air, spun around behind him, kicked him in the back of the legs so he fell to his knees, and caught the baseball bat on the way down. She gave him a quick whack on the chin with it, just hard enough to knock him out, then swung it around and caught the incoming bicycle chain from another thug on the way down, making it wrap around the bat. She yanked the chain away from the startled thug and nailed him with the bat, but another man grabbed her from behind in a bear hug and another man jerked the bat away. She kicked that man in the stomach and drove her elbow into the ribs of the man holding her, and dropped to the ground in a crouch. She launched herself at the next man fist first and nailed him in the jaw, staggering him, and kneed another man in the crotch as he came in, then as he knelt forward she grabbed his head by the hair and drove his face down into her knee. She risked a quick glance at Jirou and saw that he had almost caught up to her, as far as body count went, leaving very few still standing.

At that moment, two vans pulled to a halt and spilled out over a dozen new combatants. Possum moved to stand back to back with Jirou as the remaining thugs quickly backed away to catch their breath and give the reinforcements room to fight.

"This could be rough," she said in a friendly tone. It had been a while since her last good fight, but this was starting to get ridiculous.

"Eh, what can ya do? Idiots will always be idiots," Jirou said, shrugging. "Ooh, that guy's got barbed wire wrapped around that baseball bat. Sure you don't want to run?"

"That would be the intelligent thing to do," Possum replied. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna just leave you here to face 'em all alone, though."

Jirou snorted. "Like I said, idiots'll always be idiots. Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Possum said lightly.

* * *

><p>Kara stood up from her bunk as the door to the dorm room opened later that night. Possum poked her head in and spotted Kara, and grinned awkwardly. "Er...hi," she said as she slipped inside and pulled the door shut quietly behind her. "So, uh...did anyone notice I was gone?"<p>

Kara shrugged. "I did. Taro probably did." She eyed the various bandages, bandaids, and bruises that covered her roommate, and sighed. "Did you have those properly treated?"

Possum grinned helplessly. "I think?"

Kara heaved a sigh and opened a drawer as she searched for her first aid kit. "Sit down, give me a minute..."

Possum plopped down on the desk chair and spun around idly. "Thanks, Kara."

"You won, right?"

Possum grinned wide. "Yep."

Kara grinned crookedly. "Then don't worry about it." She settled in to begin cleaning Possum's wounds.

* * *

><p><strong>Possum Cade<strong>

Born - 11/29/1994

Height - 5'4"

Kickboxing Club

Likes – People, forests

Dislikes – Being alone, Japanese food (except pocky)

Roommate – Kara Stride

Little Known Facts – has catlike balance, and has a great many skills

Titles: Student Number 15, Whiskey (nickname bestowed by P.E. teacher based on eye color)

Close Friends: Urashima Taro, Kara Stride

Enemies: None.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Ah, Possum Cade, another one of my favorite characters. The character was created a long time ago for another setting, and modified to fit the world of Negima. Originally she used a sling as a weapon, but that would be a little out of place in the modern world, so it was changed to...a quarterstaff. *headdesk* What was I thinking...? In any case, she has many, many skills, and as shown by this chapter, while she's not the fighter Taro is, she's no slouch either. Physically, Possum is quite athletic, is in good shape, and has incredible stamina; to see her walking or jogging along gives one the impression that she can go on for days. She has longish hair of the shade usually known as 'dirty blonde', which she keeps loosely tied back. Once in a while she'll put it in a proper ponytail, but she usually thinks it's too much effort when what she normally does works almost as well. Her eyes are a very light brown that look almost yellow depending on the light; this has earned her the nickname "Whiskey". As far as her club choice goes, she had always liked watching kickboxing on TV, but knew nothing about actually doing it; so when she found out there was a kickboxing club at Mahora, she joined up quickly.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chap 3 (New Beginnings 3)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 6

Friendship - 14

Crush - 16

Love - 12

H - 12

Kamo's Comments: "Niiice! This one has potential, aniki! You know what they say about those American girls..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 18

Courage - 17

Attractiveness - 14

Intelligence - 12

Athleticism - 16

Instincts - 19

Anger - 6

Loner - 4

Outgoing - 18

Popularity – 13

Attributes – Pretty Foreigner, American, odd eye color (light brown/yellow, a.k.a. "whiskey"), dirty blonde hair, athletic, light southern accent

Haruna's Comments: "She's a nice, friendly girl, and pretty much everyone in town knows her by sight if not name. Her friendship with Urashima Taro seems to scare a lot of people off, but yeah, she's quite capable. She'd make a great ally, I think."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous townsperson: "Possum? Is that her name? Well, she helped me unload a bunch of big ceramic plant pots one day; I've heard similar stories from other people. She's a very helpful girl."

Kagurazaka Asuna: "Possum? That girl's got potential, that much is obvious just from watching her move."

Classmate Kara Stride: "She's a good roommate; she never snoops in my things or borrows things without asking. I think she'd probably be a good friend too, if I could think of anything to say to her."


	17. MTNC 16 Kara Stride

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 16 – Kara Stride**

* * *

><p>Two figures stood across from each other in the dojo, each holding an oversized wooden sword. Almost as if on cue, they shot toward each other, struck at each other several times, and jumped away from each other.<p>

"You have become very skilled, but you still have a long way to go," the older woman said.

The younger one grunted in response, working to keep her breathing under control.

They went at each other again, neither one managing to land a blow, then leapt apart again.

"You must not fight there if you can avoid it. If you are forced to engage in combat, avoid using our special techniques if possible. Do not use our secret techniques unless someone's life depends on it."

They went at each other and this time the exchange took a little longer, though neither one managed to land a hit.

"I understand," Kara replied as she reached up to adjust her glasses, which had started to slip down her nose.

"You be sure to wear your glasses at all times, don't take them off except to go to sleep," her mother said in a serious tone as they darted toward each other again. This time Kara landed a glancing blow to her mother's arm, and was struck hard on the shoulder in return. They moved apart again, Kara's expression as stoic as her mother always expected it to be. She was very excited about going to Japan, though she couldn't admit it to her mother. Her shoulder hurt like crazy, though...

"I know."

They stood watching each other for a long, long moment, and then her mother shifted out of her stance and relaxed, and Kara did likewise.

"...I think you're ready," her mother said.

Kara kept her mouth shut lest she let slip just how excited she was to be chosen to go to Japan. Her little sister wasn't quite ready and Cousin Mel, who was several years older, wasn't as adaptable. Everyone else was too young or too old, so she was the best choice.

"...thank you," Kara finally managed.

* * *

><p>When Kara came out of the shower, her sister was waiting for her.<p>

"Hey."

"Hey," Kara said happily. Her little sister was one of the few people she felt comfortable opening up around. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you're really going to dress like _that_ in Japan," the younger girl said, glancing at her big sister's businesslike button-up shirt, tie, and slacks.

"...what do you mean? Is something wrong with it?"

The girl sighed and shook her head as if to say 'Honestly, big sis; you're an idiot.' "It looks like you're ready for a funeral," she said drily.

Kara paused and looked down at herself. "Really?"

"Well yeah! You can't walk around over there dressed like _that_!"

"...why not?" Kara asked, mystified. She had never been one for fashion.

Her little sister sighed and rubbed her forehead. This was going to take a while...

* * *

><p>"...so boys don't like girls who dress like this?" Kara said hesitantly half an hour later. She had never really thought about it before, she had always been focused on the dojo...<p>

"That's right. Also, undo that horrible bun your hair's tied up in. It looks terrible with your face shape," her little sister said, standing up with her hand on her hip as she pointed at the offending bundle of hair. "The glasses are okay I guess; mama says you need them all the time, so...I guess you could try some contacts once you get there though. Now, let's see...I can let you try on a few of my shirts so you can get an idea of what would look good..."

* * *

><p>Kara's little sister stood dejectedly as she looked at her hopelessly stretched favorite shirt. She hadn't realized just how big her sister's chest had become in the past year or so. She knew she wasn't exactly flat chested herself, but <em>anyone<em> would feel inadequate next to _that _monster. She sighed again, realizing for the first time why Kara's shirts always needed the buttons sewn back on. She was a little jealous, actually; how annoying.

"Okay, so that shirt size is good," she said, making sure Kara wrote the shirt size down so she wouldn't forget. I can't let you try on any of my pants though; your legs are too long," she said, glaring a little. Kara seemed to misunderstand the reason behind the glare, and she sighed yet again. Her big sister was a total moron as far as fashion and things like femininity went; she could only hope someone in Japan would take her under their wing before she made a fool out of herself.

"Do you understand?" she demanded as she looked her big sister over with a professional eye for fashion. The tight shirt did wonders for Kara's chest and waist; however, the slacks she wore utterly ruined the image, though the contrast between the loose slacks and the tight shirt emphasized her hips and rear end in a good way. "You need some jeans, too. And some high tops or tennis shoes or something; those shiny black shoes have _got _to go."

"I_ told_ mama these shoes were uncomfortable," Kara said, kicking them off so she could check the size, which she wrote down under her other notes about clothing sizes and styles. "But she bought them for me anyway."

Her little sister took a long look and sighed for the hundredth time, shaking her head as well. Their mother hand picked and bought all of Kara's clothes; it was weird, since she had always let her pick out her own. Why wasn't her sister allowed to do the same...? "Well, I've done all I can. You take care over there, okay? Send me an email from time to time, and remember to study your Japanese! I know we practiced together for the past two months, but you still can't speak it properly!"

Kara nodded. "I know. I wish you could come with me, but..."

Her little sister nodded irritably. "I know. We can only afford to send one person, and you're it. Let's just hope you don't get kidnapped by some yakuza thug so you can star in adult videos on your first day there." Dammit. "And remember what we talked about with clothes! You should learn a more modern instrument than the flute, too. You like rock music, so you should learn the guitar or bass! You've got an ear for it, anyway."

"Guitar or bass, huh?" Kara said thoughtfully as she picked up a magazine geared toward guitarists that had been lying on her sister's bed. She flipped it open and scanned through a few pages. "This one's kinda neat," she said after a moment, pointing out a blue one with an unusual shape.

"A Rickenbacker bass, huh?" her sister said as she took the magazine. "Those are a couple thousand, I think. Nice choice." She passed the magazine back to her sister.

"What, _dollars_?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa..."

"Kara?"

"Yeah?" Kara asked, looking up from the magazine.

"Whatever you do, don't let mama know about any of this. She'll go nuclear if she finds out you're dressing like a girl and learning to play a guitar. I could get away with it, but..." she shrugged. "I don't get why she's so worried about you doing that kind of thing. She gave up making me dress the way she wanted _years_ ago."

"I don't know either..." Kara said dejectedly. She looked back at the picture. 'Rickenbacker, huh? I'll have to remember that...' She peeled off the shirt her sister had let her try on and slipped on one of her button up shirts and began buttoning it up. After a moment, one of the buttons popped loose and she sighed.

"Kara?" her sister asked.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful over there."

"Gotcha little sis, thanks for all the help. If I don't get ready now, though, I'm gonna be late for my plane." She went to the doorway and paused, looking back. "See ya later."

"See ya."

* * *

><p>She waited until Kara was gone before collapsing on her bed and heaving yet one more sigh. Kara wasn't stupid, she was just...extremely sheltered and naive. About everything that didn't involve the family dojo. It was irritating in the extreme to have to explain to her that stretching her arms up above her head in public was a bad idea for a girl who wasn't trying to get a guy's attention, or why exactly she felt all warm and fuzzy and nervous around that boy she had gone to school with for six years. It was all so irritating, and yet...the whole family revolved around Kara's presence in some way she couldn't quite explain. She herself was allowed a great deal of freedom because of this, while their mother controlled almost every aspect of Kara's life. She herself loved the arrangement, and since she could make intelligent choices (unlike so many other people her age, she reflected), her mother usually just let her do whatever she wanted as long as she was home on time, took care of her various duties around the house and dojo, and would tell her what she had been up to when asked. Overall, it wasn't a bad arrangement at all. She did feel kinda bad for Kara, though...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Kara Stride<strong>

Born - 10/31/1994

Height - 5'6"

Rock Club

Likes – music, cars with big engines, motorcycles

Dislikes – fashion crazy people

Roommate – Possum Cade

Little Known Facts – She is actually very girly and is extremely skilled at playing the flute, though she won't admit it to anyone.

Titles: Student Number 16

Close Friends: Kobayashi Ayumi, Watanabe Miyako, Kondo Kai, Possum Cade

Enemies: None that she knows of.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Heh, Kara. The girl bassist of the No Name Band, swordsperson, and oddly charming girl from America. She's always been one of my favorite members of the new class, and is based off of a blind wandering archer character I created for an original setting a long time ago. How could there be such a thing as a blind wandering archer? Well...it's complicated. And awesome. Mostly awesome. Anyway, Kara's quiet, serious attitude is meant to balance Ayumi's crazy, outspoken personality; the two are best friends, even though neither one actually realizes it. Kara's instrument in the No Name Band is a Rickenbacker 4003 Bass, Midnight Blue, unmodified. Physically, judging purely from her body, Kara looks like she would have a bright future in adult movies if she so wished; she would likely die of embarrassment if anyone suggested this, then kill the one who said it. Looked at objectively, she looks like she might be in her early twenties, and many people have made that mistake before; it's become a sensitive subject for her, especially when the guy bringing it up just wants to have a one night stand, something she would never consider. She has long brown hair she often puts up in a ponytail or braid or even occasionally ties up behind her head in a spiky bundle (think Kazumi), and blue eyes. She is tied with one other girl for most attractive in the class, and is widely considered one of the best looking in the entire school. Something is odd about her ability to attract other people though...

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 7 (Club Visits), Chapter 11 (Kyoto 3)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 2

Sisterly - 1

Friendship - 8

Crush - 11

Love - 13

H - 3

Kamo's Comments: "She looks like _that_, but she's just so...so innocent! Her idea of ecchi thoughts is holding hands and a quick kiss on the lips...! Arrgggh...! I just can't take it anymore! Quick aniki, change me into a human so I can ask her to marry me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 12

Courage - 20

Attractiveness - 20

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 14

Instincts - 10

Anger - 16

Loner - 20

Outgoing - 0

Popularity – 14

Attributes – freaking hot, musician, bassist, beautiful foreigner, innocent, long ponytail, blue eyes, loner, awkward, glasses (secretly)

Haruna's Comments: "Oh wow, I didn't know what to expect when I first heard about this one, but yeah, she's hot." *pauses to work on a few pages of adult manga to sell at Comiket* "This is my new fanbook crossover for my three series Magical Teacher Onion-Sensei, Dog Boy Koujirou, and Magical Girl Misa. Fufufu~ When the new character of Mara Walk appears, these are going to sell like hotcakes!"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Kakizaki Misa: "Yeah...she's good looking all right, but there's more to it than that. I don't know what it is, but something's not right, here."

Aoyama Tsuruko: *looks decidedly flustered upon recalling her run-in with Kara* "Yes...well...don't let down your guard around her. That is all I am going to say. Have you seen my husband by any chance? No? Damn..."

Kagurazaki Asuna: *looks at Kara as she walks past, talking to Ayumi* "Huh? What's the big fuss about? Yeah she's got a nice body and a pretty face, but I don't get why you guys are going so crazy over her; there are better looking ones in the high school and college, remember? Weird." *honestly confused*


	18. MTNC 17 Endo Haru

**Note:** This chapter takes place during Chapter 6: Magical Girl Kagamin**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 17 – Endo Haru<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Monday, April 20th, 2009<em>

* * *

><p>"So...what, no club meeting today either?" Endo Haru asked.<p>

The girl facing her fidgeted, refusing to look her in the eye. "Well...everybody's tired. You're...you're just too intense-"

"Intense?" Haru said, incredulous. "I'm just doing what you all should be doing if you're serious about the club!"

The shorter girl flinched back and quickly looked away, clutching her bag in front of her chest like a shield. She didn't reply.

"So that's it, then," Haru said. "You guys weren't serious about anything after all. So what, are you going to kick me out of the club?" She was disgusted. What was the point of joining the Bicycle Club if you didn't want to ride a bicycle all the time? She didn't get the other girls at _all_.

The short girl in front of her shrunk away. "Th-they all quit. _We_ all quit," she said, more forcefully. She took a few steps back, bowed politely to Haru, then turned and ran, leaving Haru alone in the hallway in front of the clubroom of the Bicycle Club.

Haru watched the other girl disappear around a corner, then turned to enter the empty club room. She took her usual seat and laid her head on the table. Had someone passed by outside soon after, they might have heard the sound of a girl crying. No one did.

* * *

><p>Haru chained up her bicycle, an old, much worn mountain bike she had found abandoned on the side of the road one day before she came to Mahora, and made her way sluggishly into the dorm building and up the stairs. She opened the door to the dorm room she shared with Kagami, and sighed. As usual since her meeting with Kakizaki Misa, the leader of that band she liked so much, Kagami was out. Haru sighed, entered the room, and locked the door behind her.<p>

Haru flopped down on Kagami's bunk and laid there with her legs hanging over the side. It wasn't out of any wish to be like Kagami; Haru enjoyed the other girl's presence and certainly admired her feminine looks in comparison to her own over-athletic appearance, but she was relatively happy with who she was; Kagami just had the lower bunk, was all it was. Kagami was also fairly popular, and people always came up to her in the hallways, slowing her down on her way to class or club meetings, while Haru could usually slip through unnoticed. Slipping through unnoticed, Haru had found, was quite a valuable skill to have. If there was someone else to gather attention, she wouldn't be teased about her unfeminine body; no one would make remarks about how a boy was wandering the halls of a girls' school, or say mean things about how she always stunk like sweat, even when she _knew_ she didn't. She hated using Kagami that way, but sometimes it all got to the point where she just couldn't take it any more and stuck with her roommate until she felt better.

She sat up on the edge of the bed, exhausted, and reached underneath. She pulled out a small box and placed it on the bed next to her, glanced over at the door to make sure she had locked it, and opened the box. Inside, a small playdoh cat looked up at her as if inquiring where its master was.

"Sorry little guy, Kagami's out right now. Do you want to play with me instead?" she asked. The playdoh cat looked at her for a moment, cocked its head to the side, and hopped neatly out of the box to stand on the blanket next to her. It looked around the room as Haru gently rubbed her finger over its head. She held out her hand, and the cat sniffed it, clearly unimpressed, before stepping up on to her hand and allowing itself to be carried to the desk, where she set it down and took out her textbooks. The cat watched her writing for a moment, then curled up and closed its eyes, seemingly going to sleep. She knew better than to think it had, but the playdoh cat seemed to think it was supposed to behave in such a way, so she just patted its head and focused on her homework.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the sun was long gone when the playdoh cat jumped up and looked expectantly at the door. Haru picked it up just as someone slid a key into the doorknob and unlocked it. Kagami opened the door and stepped inside, and the cat jumped out of Haru's hand and raced over to Kagami.<p>

Haru raised her hand in greeting. "Yo."

Kagami looked tired, but more excited than Haru had seen her since her first meeting with Misa. "Hi. Did you finish your homework yet?"

Haru nodded. "Yeah, just before you got back. Do you need to copy it again?"

Kagami had the good grace to look sheepish as she nodded, so Haru got up from the desk chair to allow her to sit down and get to work copying. It was annoying, but...she didn't really mind letting the other girl copy her work. She knew that whatever it was Kagami was doing out so late all the time was important to her, after all. If their situations were ever reversed and Kagami refused to help, though...she would feel the wrath of a million incorrect answers.

"It's getting late and I have to get up early for the club, so I'm going to bed. Keep the noise down, okay?" Haru said as she stripped down and put on her pajamas behind Kagami, who muttered something noncommittally. Haru climbed the short ladder up to the top bunk and laid down, pulling the sheets over her.

* * *

><p>Some time later, Haru's eyes snapped open, though she didn't move. The lights were off, but someone was moving around in the darkness. A moment later, someone flicked the desk lamp on, and she heard the small sounds clothing made as it was taken off and put on, as well as Kagami muttering to herself. The sounds ceased after a moment.<p>

"Maybe a braid would be better?" Kagami said to herself.

Haru frowned. Kagami was dressing up to go out? She chanced moving enough to look at the window, but the blinds were down and she couldn't see out. Nevertheless, it was far from morning, probably only a few hours after Haru herself had gone to sleep. She was concerned about this...what had Kagami gotten herself into...?

Kagami, apparently satisfied with herself, moved to the window, pulled the blinds aside, and pushed the window open. The cool night air flooded the room, bringing with it the distant sounds of the city and the various scents of the outside world. Haru watched silently while Kagami climbed up on the desk, dressed in a ridiculous blue and black outfit, and slowly climbed up onto the windowsill. She paused at the last moment to turn off the desk lamp, and then slipped out through the window. Haru was up and out of her bunk in an instant, nearly tripping over the rope Kagami had tied to the bed in order to climb down safely. Haru peeked out the window and watched as her roommate lost her grip on the rope with a few feet left to go and fell, staggering as she landed on her feet. Haru almost called out to Kagami to ask if she was all right, but Kagami shook it off and ran off across the lawn to disappear into the bushes.

Haru hesitated for a brief moment, then moved to the dresser, from which she grabbed a random shirt and pair of shorts. She retrieved a pair of shoes from under the bed and slipped them on, then climbed up onto the desktop, which creaked under her. She paused a moment to glance back at the room, then turned back to the window and inched out to the edge of the windowsill, ignoring the rope Kagami had tied, and jumped out into space. She landed on her feet and took off for the closest bunch of shadows and waited silently, listening for Kagami's movements. Her sharp hearing picked up some movement a hundred feet or so away, so she followed, slipping from shadow to shadow until she caught sight of Kagami, standing under a tree, apparently thinking she was hiding in its shadows. Haru's sharp eyesight picked her out with ease, and she heaved a sigh as quietly as she could. What did Kagami think she was doing out here at this time of night anyway...? 'I'd better stay on her tail, in case she gets into any trouble,' she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Haru flitted from shadow to shadow, sometimes moving from rooftop to rooftop as she followed Kagami, who seemed determined to lure out every dangerous person in Mahora with her exaggerated sneaking movements and that odd blue and black costume that looked like something from an anime. Haru almost groaned aloud when Kagami finally made her way into one of the most dangerous, run down areas of Mahora and clumsily climbed up onto a fire escape, making entirely too much noise for her own good in this part of the city.<p>

Haru quietly overpowered a thug on a nearby rooftop and bound and gagged him, leaving him unconscious behind a chimney, and settled in to wait. She didn't know what Kagami was trying to do, but whatever it was, it was certainly dangerous.

* * *

><p>Haru had almost fallen asleep when someone came strolling down the street, baseball bat propped on her shoulder. 'What on Earth...?' Haru asked herself as she easily recognized her classmate Urashima Taro in the darkness. Had Kagami come to this place to meet up with the class bully? She almost jumped out of her skin when Taro paused just outside of the cone of line cast by a street lamp and called out.<p>

"I know you're there, you might as well come out now."

She heard a quick movement from Kagami across the street, and knew she had probably been more surprised than Haru herself.

She realized Taro wasn't talking about either one of them, however, when the small gathering of thugs an alley or two over began to shuffle out of their hiding place. Haru had spotted them immediately upon arriving in the area, but they appeared to have not noticed Kagami's presence or had chosen to ignore her, and had most definitely not noticed Haru's presence, so she had decided to mentally set them aside. Now, however, it appeared she had stumbled across the scene of an impending street fight. She glanced over at Kagami, who was leaning over the railing of the fire escape, apparently trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between Taro and the group of thugs. The quick, raspy sound of someone drawing a knife from a leather sheath pulled her attention back to the scene on the street. And then, somehow, Kagami fell out of the fire escape.

Haru groaned at the ridiculous amount of noise her roommate made, but a sharp hiss made her look back at Taro, who she realized had just been stabbed in the side. 'Oh. Wait, that's bad!' Haru was working herself up to climb down to help Taro, her secret be damned, when another girl Haru had butted heads with several times walked out of Kagami's alley and faced the man with the knife; Haru thought she had heard the others call him Hideki. He started to bluster, and the girl, an upperclassman from St. Ursula named Sakai Reiko, expertly whacked him with her wooden sword, leaving him in agony as he sat on the road while his friends bravely ran away. This was all normal stuff, though, so Haru looked back at where Kagami was hiding in her alley to make sure she was okay.

Reiko brought a bottle out of her pocket a moment later, however, and Haru's attention shot back to her. 'That's one of those black things,' she thought with horror as Reiko loosened the cork in the bottle and popped it out, allowing the evil spirit inside to escape and attach itself to the thug leader, who took a moment to realize what had happened, then screamed like a little girl and ran away. That wasn't right...! You didn't just let that creepy sort of evil thing go loose, even to take care of a thug like that Hideki guy! Someone could be hurt or killed!

The others in the street, Kagami, Reiko, and Taro, started talking after a moment, and then Reiko made Taro sit down and take off her shirt so she could dress her wound. Reiko eventually sent the other two off and looked directly up at her. "Shouldn't you go? She'll realize you're gone when she gets back, you know."

Haru winced at being discovered. Reiko _always_ found her, no matter where she hid...! Haru didn't know how the other girl did it, but it was very annoying. With no convenient fire escape on the side of the building she was hiding on, she heaved a much-put-upon sigh and began climbing down a drainpipe. It came loose when she was a little more than halfway down, and she was unexpectedly dropped the last twenty five feet to the ground, where she fell in an undignified heap. She quickly got up, trying to pretend she hadn't just done something extremely embarrassing, but she knew Reiko had seen the whole thing. Reiko could see almost as well as she could, after all; even in the dark. In any case, no broken bones. She walked over to the older girl.

"Thanks for watching out for Kagami, Reiko-sempai. But that's dangerous... You'll recapture it, right? The grudge?" she said, referring to the black thing that had been in the bottle before Reiko released it.

Reiko waved her off. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll get it back in a day or two, after Hideki-kun's learned his lesson. Now go on, get out of here. I've got an exorcism to perform on the other side of town."

Haru nodded reluctantly and glanced back the way Kagami had gone. "You won't tell her about me, right? I mean, I don't want anyone to find out if I can help it…" If her secret got out to her classmates, she would be in a lot more trouble than just exposing magic to someone who didn't know about it.

Reiko shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Go on, that Kagami is pretty fast."

"Okay Reiko-sempai. Please don't push yourself, okay?" Haru said. She often disagreed with the older girl whenever they met, but that didn't mean she wished harm upon her. Reiko was a lot of things—arrogant, for one, an incredibly strong medium for another—but she was also unhealthy, and her body was frail.

Reiko was already walking away, however. "Don't worry about it," she said without looking back.

Haru watched her go for a moment, then clumsily climbed back up to the rooftops and started to make her way back to the dorm. She hurried, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in great running leaps in an effort to return before Kagami, thinking intensely the whole time.

* * *

><p>'So Kagami's becoming a mage, huh?' Haru thought to herself as she stood below their room's window, looking up at it. She had known Kagami wasn't normal; the playdoh cat alone would have let anyone know. Kagami hadn't known anything until very recently, though...probably up until a few days ago, which meant Haru's suspicions about Misa had been correct. Misa was a mage, and was now teaching Kagami how to do magic.<p>

Haru looked up at the window, grabbed the rope Kagami had left hanging out of it, and climbed up. She had just finished changing into her pajamas again when motion in the bushes outside caught her attention, and Kagami darted out, straight to the side of the dorm building. She wondered briefly if Kagami could actually make it back up the rope ladder, and grinned. She'd let her struggle for a while, then pretend to wake up and help her. It'd serve Kagami right, getting up to such dangerous activities so late at night and making her worry...!

She settled in for a long, amusing wait, wishing she had a videocamera.

* * *

><p><strong>Endo Haru<strong>

Born - 1/29/1995

Height - 5'7"

Bicycle Club

Likes – running, rabbits, wolves, cats

Dislikes – dogs, her figure

Roommate – Mochizuki Kagami

Little Known Facts – Due to her family situation, her parents had to move many times in her childhood; Mahora is the first place she's stayed more than a year since she was a baby.

Titles: Student Number 17

Close Friends: Mochizuki Kagami

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Haru's one of those who was created for SW3; she was meant to be the sports-freak of the class. The inspiration for this came from my annoyance at the long time trend in anime for any girl who's big into playing sports to look like all the rest, from the class genius to the lazy girl who never goes outside. Working out or even something as little as being naturally athletic will give a person a different body shape from others; it's just the way the human body works. Haru was created as a more realistic version of a sports girl; well, as realistic as a sports girl in the Negima world tends to be, after all. As you can tell from this chapter, there's more to her than meets the eye.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chap 2 (New Beginnings 2)

**Kamo's Negi Love Chart**

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 8

Friendship - 8

Crush - 14

Love - 3

H - 2

Kamo's Comments: "Hmm...not much to start with, but she _does_ have quite a crush on you, aniki. I bet she'd be a reliable partner if you decided to make a pactio."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 16

Courage - 12

Attractiveness - 9

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 17

Instincts - 15

Anger - 12

Loner - 18

Outgoing - 12

Popularity – 13

Attributes – Athletic, ponytail, doesn't stand out

Haruna's Comments: "She's great at sports, and has good instincts. I think we can turn her into front-line material, if you're looking to add another fighter to the group, Negi.

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Upperclassman in the Tennis Club: "We've certainly got an eye on her; she has strong legs and great endurance, so we think she'll be a great asset to our club."

Upperclassman in the Karate Club: "We've certainly got an eye on her; she has a strong body and great endurance, so we think she'll make a great addition to our club."

Upperclassman in the Cosmetics club: "Who? You mean that sports girl? She always smells like sweat! Oh please, you can't be serious!"


	19. MTNC 18 Mochizuki Kagami

**Note**: This story occurs a few years or so before Still Waters 3, and references events in my fanfiction Still Waters 2: Another Turn, which can be found on this site.

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 18 – Mochizuki Kagami<strong>

* * *

><p>Mochizuki Kagami, eleven years old, crouched nervously behind the corner of a building, waiting. Somewhere out there, her brother Hiroaki was trying to fight for his life against assassins sent by the Matsuzawa family. She and her brother had been cut off from the others during the attack, herded like cattle toward the slaughter. The distinctive sound of a silenced 9mm handgun a fair distance away made her jump.<p>

'That was pretty far away...I should be safe for now,' she thought. Then someone fired a shotgun nearby, probably the next building over, someone else screamed, and she heard the sound of footsteps as two people took off running down the street in front of her. Kagami crouched back, trying to stay hidden in the shadows, but she had no time to find a real hiding place and two men she recognized as members of the Matsuzawa family ducked into the alley just in front of another shotgun blast. They spotted her almost instantly, and one of them grabbed her around the neck before she could even get to her feet. He twisted her arm back and up until she cried out, clutching her to him, and spoke into her ear.

"I know you, you're that Mochizuki brat. If you're good and do what I say, you may get out of this alive. If not, I'll sell you to one of the big bosses in Tokyo. They really know how to take care of whiny little brats there, you can bet on that."

Kagami cringed away from the man's horrible breath, but he twisted her arm even harder and she bit down on her tongue to keep from crying out again. She wouldn't give him the pleasure...!

"Hmph, _brat_," the man all but spat. Nevertheless, he released the pressure on her arm enough to allow her to think through the pain.

Was there anything she could use nearby as a weapon...? She had some pencils in her bookbag, but she had dropped it when the man grabbed her. She didn't have the small knife her brother had given her for protection; it was at home because she would be expelled from school if she was caught with it. She hated to be so helpless, but there really wasn't anything...

She could hear the man with the shotgun walking up on the other side of the wall. The guy who had grabbed her shot a quick look at his friend, who drew two pistols. The man drew his own gun and put the barrel against Kagami's head.

Kagami tensed up. She wasn't stupid; she knew the Matsuzawa family's reputation. This man would probably shoot her in an instant as soon as the situation took a turn for the worst.

"Freeze right there!" he called out to the man with the shotgun. The footsteps stopped, and Kagami's heart began to pound when she heard her brother's voice.

"You do realize I could just empty my shotgun into that alley from around the corner and wipe you out, right?" her brother said from around edge of the building. "Why don't you come out and we can end this argument like men."

The man holding Kagami tensed up, and she knew he was absolutely, one hundred percent pissed off. "You stupid little runt! I've got your brat sister here! Drop the shotgun and step out into the open where we can see you or I'll blow her brains out!"

"...Kagami?" her brother's voice had lost the surety and confidence it had contained only a moment before.

"Say something you little brat," the man growled at her. Kagami clenched her teeth and remained silent, so the man pressed the end of the gun barrel hard into the side of her head. She shut her eyes and shook her head, so the whacked her in the head with the side of the gun barrel and she let out a cry.

"_Kagami_? What did you do to her, you bastard...!"

The man nodded to his friend, who stepped forward into a position where he could shoot as soon as her brother stepped out into the entrance to the alley.

"Kagami? Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry about me Hiro-nii!"

The man holding her tightened his grip. "That's enough, shut up, brat!"

Kagami ignored him. "There are two of them! Both have guns! They're going to—Aagh!" she cried out as the man holding her twisted her arm again.

"Kagami!" her brother called out.

"Don't come!" she screamed, then screamed louder when the man twisted her arm again.

"You know we've got the girl. You just put down the shotgun and step out where we can see you, and we'll let her go. Just do as we say and-"

"You dare to kidnap my sister on her way home from school," her brother Hiroaki said quietly.

Kagami could hear him feeding several shells into his shotgun, and the man holding her tensed. "That's-"

"You threaten to shoot an eleven year old girl to get me to come out," he continued, his tone furious.

"You stuck up little-"

"How _dare_ you?" Hiroaki demanded, something in his voice warning the two men that they had just crossed the line. "Where is your honor? How _dare_ you bring such shame upon your family...!" he bellowed. All three people in the alley heard a mysterious _click_ sound. "Kagami, eyes!"

Kagami's eyes widened briefly, then she clamped them shut and put her hands over her ears as a small black cylinder was tossed into the alley. The man holding her swore and let go, firing his gun, and Kagami felt the air move as the bullet passed by within an inch of her face, and then the world dissappeared in a brilliant flash and deafening sound that left her all but blind with her ears ringing. She opened her eyes a little and saw the shape of her brother standing in the alley entrance, dark goggles over his eyes to lessen the impact of the flashbang grenade, firing his shotgun as fast as he could work the pump. A bullet struck him in the chest, a lucky shot, and he staggered, almost dropping the shotgun as the kevlar vest he always wore under his suit jacket stopped the shot. He pulled a pistol from a hidden pocket and fired it several times one handed, then stepped forward and helped Kagami to her feet. He was saying something, but her ears were still ringing and she couldn't make out what it was. Kagami glanced around, trying not to look at the bodies, and spotted a fallen pistol. Ignoring her big brother's disapproving look, she picked it up and made sure there was a round in the chamber, made sure to keep her finger off the trigger, grabbed her fallen bookbag, and the two of them left the alley.

Kagami followed along behind Hiroaki, doing her best to not slow him down as he moved from cover to cover. They heard the rattle of gunfire from a few streets over, followed by an explosion, and Hiroaki grinned back at her. "Can you hear me now?" he said. Kagami nodded, so he continued. "That was Saga Jin. Remember him?"

Kagami nodded again. Of course she remembered Jin-kun. He was the one who had come down from Hokkaido and wiped out the rogue faction that had killed her parents. "Jin-kun's here?"

Hiroaki nodded, grinning, and they moved closer to the sounds of combat. Kagami held the pistol as she crouched, careful to keep it pointed in a safe direction and her finger off the trigger. Her brother hadn't wanted her to take the weapon training the guys in their group offered to give her, but she had insisted; if Hiroaki got into trouble, who would be there to save him if she didn't even know how to use a gun? He had reluctantly agreed after she pouted at him long enough, and she was very thankful for that now. She didn't want to shoot anyone, but if Hiroaki or the others in the gang were in trouble...

Shots exploded right around the corner, and Hiroaki and Kagami quickly ducked down behind some brick stairs.

"Hahaha! You can take that little takeover of yours and shove it up your ass!" someone yelled, and Kagami almost stood up before her brother pulled her back down behind cover.

"That was Jin-kun!" she said excitedly.

"Wait until it's clear," her brother said sharply.

One more shot was fired, and then someone walked out into the street. Kagami peeked out and easily recognized Saga Jin. The man had a way of making any suit, no matter how well tailored, appear rumpled and sloppy, and that ridiculous amused grin on his face was the same as it ever was.

"Jin-kun!" Kagami called out as she and Hiroaki came out from behind cover.

"Hey! Kagami-chan!" Jin said, catching Kagami as she ran up to him and swinging her once through the air. "Oof, you're getting too big for that, Kagami-chan! Hmm...you're getting pretty too," he said, making a ridiculously sly expression.

"Hahaha! Jin-kun you pervert!" she said happily.

"Jin-san," Hiroaki said as he walked up, nodding at him.

Jin nodded back. "Hiroaki. You don't have to add the -san, you know? We've known each other for _years_ now! Now come on, let's get Kagami-chan somewhere safe. My guys linked up with your guys a while ago and they're driving the Matsuzawa guys toward the docks. It shouldn't be too long before this whole mess is taken care of."

Hiroaki sighed and nodded. "Thanks for the help yet again, Jin-san. I hate to keep asking for it, but..."

Jin grinned lazily at him. "Don't worry about it, that's what friends are for, right? Besides, you guys've helped me out lots of times. Now come on, I've got one of my guys coming around in a car, let's get you home, Kagami-chan," he said, smiling down at the girl as he ruffled her hair.

"Hehe," Kagami said, smiling up at him. Hiroaki looked like he had his feathers ruffled, so she took his hand as they waited. The car, a long black Mercedes, pulled up a moment later, and they all climbed inside. Kagami soon dozed off; the excitement and stress of the day had done a real number on her.

"Hey," Jin said after a moment, his voice unexpectedly somber.

"What?" Hiroaki asked.

"You ever thought about sending Kagami-chan off to a boarding school? You know, get her away from all this, somewhere where she can be safe?"

Hiroaki stiffened up for a moment, but sighed. "Yes, I have."

"Got any in mind?" Jin asked.

Hiroaki shrugged. "Not really. I've checked a few out, but none of them really seemed secure. And it's not like I've got enough people to send a bunch off to watch over her; not enough for me to feel like she's safe."

Jin looked out the window a moment. "Hey, do you remember that kidnapping scheme we got duped into a couple years ago?"

Hiroaki winced. He'd _never_ forget that. An old associate had asked repayment for a favor, and Hiroaki had accepted. He just hadn't expected to be holding several kidnapped teenage girls prisoner. That had been when Kagami picked up that annoying playdoh cat, too. He _still_ didn't understand how that thing worked... "Yeah."

Jin grinned crookedly. He knew how Hiroaki felt about the situation he had been forced into; Jin himself had fallen into the same trap. It was a miracle no one had been killed when they had been raided by the kidnapped girls' friends. And that Mana girl...he wouldn't mind seeing her again. She had been _good _with those guns of hers. "You should check out the school those girls came from. I did some research back then; the city's called Mahora, and it looks like they've got anything a growing girl could ever need right there on campus."

Hiroaki frowned and glanced at Kagami, who was sleeping. She had drool leaking out of the edge of her mouth onto Jin's suit in an amusing manner. Jin didn't seem to care. "...how secure is it?"

Jin shifted his position, careful not to wake Kagami, before he replied. "Those students were kidnapped from there, true; but their friends tracked us down and showed up in such a short time and beat both of us _and_ our guys, and most of them were second year middle-schoolers," Jin said. "Like I said, I've done the research. There's something unusual going on there, but I think it'd be the safest place for Kagami."

Hiroaki heaved a heavy sigh. "Mahora, huh? I'll have to think about it." To tell the truth, he had been badly shaken by the Matsuzawa group's ambush on him and Kagami. The mid-sized town where they lived just wasn't safe anymore. He hated to think of sending his beloved little sister away, but... He glanced down at her. Maybe it would be for the best... "Yeah, I think you're right. Do you have any contacts there?"

"Eh...not yet, but I'll get some information tomorrow when everyone's rested up."

Hiroaki nodded. Yes, it would definitely be for the best. He couldn't bear to think of Kagami being put in the way of such danger again. He knew the guys would hate to lose her, but they would understand his reasoning. He would contact the school as soon as possible and arrange for Kagami to be transferred in. He just hoped she wouldn't be mad at him for sending her away...

* * *

><p><strong>Mochizuki Kagami<strong>

Born - 8/11/1994

Height - 5'5"

Cooking Club

Likes – her brother, Misa-sama, cats, magical girl anime

Dislikes – meddlesome people, dogs

Roommate – Endo Haru

Little Known Facts – secretly likes cosplay

Titles: Student Number 18, Daughter of the Crescent Moon

Close Friends: Endo Haru, Urashima Taro, Nakamura Sachiko

Enemies: None, though Ayumi doesn't like her

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Heh, Kagami was one of the main characters in the new class even before I started writing SW3. The daughter of a once-famous yakuza family (now reduced to her and her brother, plus what followers they have), she is active and can generally take care of herself, except in certain situations. As for character designs, Kagami's personality and appearance is based on a mix of Kagami from Lucky Star and Nanoha from...Nanoha, except with a normal braid instead of the twintails those two have. She's also got dark red hair, and a body like the heroine of a Korean manhua.

Appearances: First Appearance: Chap 2 (New Beginnings 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 1

Friendship - 12

Crush - 17

Love - 14

H - 13

Kamo's Comments: "Ooh, looks like good girlfriend material for you aniki, as long as you don't mind dating a younger girl. She has an unexpectedly dirty mind too. Heh, go for it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 10

Courage - 20

Attractiveness - 17

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 8

Instincts - 8

Anger - 18

Loner - 12

Outgoing - 9

Popularity – 12

Attributes – Fiery redhead, great body, braided ponytail, unexpected soft side

Haruna's Comments: "Well, this one's not a girl to mess with, that's for sure. She's not afraid of anything, and she has quite a temper. She's also not as popular as she could be either, especially with her sense of style, _because_ of that temper. Anyway, she has some unusual connections with the yakuza, and quite a few unexpected skills too. I think she'll be a worthwhile ally some day."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Kakizaki Misa: "Oh, Kagami-chan! Yeah, she's great. Did you know she learned the basic spells in a day or two? I've _never_ heard of anyone that fast! I can't wait to see what she does in the future."

Eva: "Mochizuki Kagami? Well, she's very powerful, anyone can tell that at a glance. She's totally untrained though, and seems to have a warped idea of how magic works. I don't think I'm the right person to teach her magic theory, though I wouldn't mind testing her ability..."

Kobayashi Ayumi: "Why are you asking about Kagami? She's a stuck up brat, and she even yelled at me! At _me_! I don't like her."


	20. MTNC 19 Inoue Ai

**Notes: **This one contains references to my short story Still Waters: A Robot's Life, which can be found on this site through my profile.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 19 – Inoue Ai<strong>

* * *

><p>1) "Ai-chan?" Sasaki Rina asked as she turned around and looked at me. "You want to know about Ai-chan? Well..." she paused, looking down at the ground and scrunching up her forehead. She abruptly looked up, puzzled. "Well, she's my friend, but she's really weird. She's always reciting plays and dragging that big brother of hers all over the place...you know, the tall guy with the sunglasses and spiky hair? I've never seen her show any interest in any boys, not even Negi-kun, so I think you're out of luck, there," she said with a faux-regretful shake of her head.<p>

2) "Inoue? She's weird," Sato Gin said, turning away dismissively.

3) "Oh! You want to know about Inoue-san?" Abe Aiko said, perking up. "Hmm...I think I have some pictures of her here..." she said, digging through her bag as she looked for her digital camera, which she pulled out after a moment's search. "Now...see? This is her. For some reason animals like to come out and watch her when she goes into the woods to practice plays. She knows every line in _Romeo and Juliet_! In _English_! That's kind of amazing, isn't it?" she said as she took the camera back and put it away. "She's not very sociable though, so if you're after her you have a long, hard road in front of you. Good luck!"

4) Kobayashi Ayumi looked baffled. "Ai? Why would you want to know about Ai? She's not cool or anything, or even really pretty. She's always using that boring ponytail too. But oh well," she said, turning away. "Your loss."

5) "Inoue...you should leave her alone. You will not bring happiness to her," Ono Ran said, continuing on along the hallway alone.

6) I caught up to Urashima Taro in an alley behind an abandoned video game arcade in the city, the location of her most recent fight. "Inoue Ai, huh? Well, she's never bothered me so I don't really know anything about her. She just seems really, well..." she looked around, trying to find the right word. "Fake, I guess? I get the impression she's not really the way she acts, ya know? Not that she's a bad person or anything, but...yeah. I don't think she really cares if anyone in particular likes her or not."

7) "Oh! You're talking about Inoue Ai, right? In my class?" Mochizuki Kagami asked excitedly; it was fairly obvious she was looking for gossip. "She's a really kind person, I'm sure you two would get along really well! She may not seem very pretty, but it's a bad idea to judge other people based on appearances," Kagami said, using a series of mirrors to make sure her braid was perfect. "She's very smart and knows all about plays and the theatre. Here," she said, edging close and looking around to make sure no one else could hear what she was about to say. "If you want to get her talking, ask her about her favorite actress; she'll go on and on about 'Natsumi-sempai', whoever that is, for _hours_."

8) "Ai-chan? Well..." Suzuki Keiko paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "She is very intelligent, and good with her hands. I don't think any of the others know just how intelligent she is. I know _I _didn't, not until that day I saw her go into the robotics lab at the university." She became flustered and red faced, waving her hands. "It's not like I was following her to be mean or anything! I was just curious..." she trails off, looking troubled. "I had to deliver something to one of the professors there, which is why I was at the university. But I saw her go in, so I followed her. Did you know Ai-chan has her own lab there? Sure it's small, but she really does have her own spot in the robotics lab. How did she get that?" She paused there for a moment, looking even more troubled. "I hope she's okay..."

9) "Who? Inoue? Who's that?" transfer student Rosemary Dean asked. Her face lit up a moment later. "Oh! Yeah, now I remember! Inoue's that girl I tricked with the invisible ink! Heheh," Rosemary said with an embarrassed grin. "I _really_ didn't mean for that to go as far as it did. I mean, I didn't expect her to not even realize it until after she'd turned in four blank tests; I'm not _that_ mean. I guess I was just sort of, well...surprised, I guess? I mean...I thought she was more on the ball than that, ya know? I mean...how could she not even notice the ink was fading? Wasn't she paying attention at _all_?"

10) "You want to know about Inoue Ai, and you're asking _me_?" Evangeline said, cocking an eyebrow as she looked at me, curious. Finally, she shrugged. "There's not much to tell. She appears to be average in every way; nice, friendly enough to avoid rumors, brave enough to attempt whatever is asked of her from public speaking to, well, anything else, not ugly but not attractive enough to offend many of the others, practically no sense of anger...need I go on?" Eva paused, scowling at something as she considered how best to convey her impression of the girl. Finally, she looked up at me. "That girl is _intelligent._ I think all of that is a lie, a false image she has built up to protect herself. She is far more intelligent than anyone gives her credit for. Sure, you can ask her out and she may even accept, but it won't be because she likes you. It'll be because of the image she wants to project." Evangeline paused for a moment. "I think, as far as she's concerned this whole city is just a stage, we're all actors, and she just doesn't want to stand out like someone who forgot her lines."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong>: Ah...Inoue Ai. She has her own story here on FFN you know; it's called A Robot's Life, and you can find it in my profile.

* * *

><p><strong>Inoue Ai<strong>

Born – 8/27/1994 – a Virgo

Height - 5'7"

Theatre Club

Likes – Natsumi-sempai, acting

Dislikes – People who don't appreciate hard work

Roommate – Miyoshi Youko

Little Known Facts – She is fairly good at anything she tries

Titles: Student Number 19

Close Friends: Tanaka Unit 1125, Hakase, Sasaki Rina, Mori Kumiko

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Ai was originally imagined as the new class's version of Natsumi: a normal, average girl surrounded by a bunch of weirdos and amazing people, but she quickly deviated from that. At this point Ai is extremely intelligent, withdrawn, and, ha ha, basically playing the part she thinks everyone expects her to play; i.e. a sort of friendly, sort of popular, sort of pretty classmate who doesn't stick out. She has a bad stutter when she speaks unless she's playing a role; this is an easy way to tell when she's been caught off guard. Physically, she's fairly tall and has shoulder length brown hair tied in a ponytail, and blue eyes. It's usually hard to get her flustered or catch her off guard; she has a lot of self control.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 21 (Reiko's House 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 1

Friendship - 1

Crush - 1

Love - 0

H - 0

Kamo's Comments: "Sorry Negi, looks like this one's a dud..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 14

Courage - 15

Attractiveness -12

Intelligence – 18

Athleticism - 11

Instincts - 20

Anger - 2

Loner - 11

Outgoing - 10

Popularity – 14

Attributes – Waiting for a hero, pony tail, actress

Haruna's Comments: "She's really sharp; this one could be dangerous~" *eyes flash, evil grin*

* * *

><p><strong>Comments from the Rest<strong>

Hakase: "Heh~Ai-chan is someone after my own heart; she understands the beauty of 1125! She's so fun to tease, too."


	21. MTNC 20 Miyoshi Youko

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 20 – Miyoshi Youko**

* * *

><p>"Would you like to leave this place?"<p>

She simply sat there for a moment, looking up at the stranger standing just outside the bars of her cell. "...excuse me?"

The old man smiled mischievously at her. "I asked 'would you like to leave this place'? It is a simple question, you know."

She sat up straighter and gave the old man a good look. What she saw wasn't much; he was short, old, and had an oddly shaped head and quite a beard. He wasn't really much to look at, but she had been around for quite a while, and knew _all_ about little old men who smiled mischievously. "I don't think the guards would just let me _leave_."

The old man's smile widened a bit. "Not to worry, my dear," he said as he removed an ancient key from somewhere deep within his sleeve. She watched, surprised, as he inserted it in the lock on her cell. The ancient metalwork resisted for a moment, but ultimately creaked back to life and allowed him to open the door.

She watched as he walked up to her, leaning on a cane she seriously doubted he really needed. "Okay, so you opened the door, but what about these?" she asked, nodding down at the talismans hanging on the rope wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides and her legs together.

"It is a simple thing," he said, pointing up at the roof with the index finger of his left hand. To her surprise, a brilliant blue flame flashed into life with a _fwump_. "Now hold still, this will only take a moment..." he said as he hobbled over and touched a talisman, which promptly burst into flame. A moment later, only one of the magic talismans remained.

"Well?" she said, trying to hide the anxiousness she felt.

The old man's mysterious smile disappeared and he gave her a serious look. "I am afraid I must ask something of you, Youko."

Youko carefully schooled her face to hide the dread she was starting to feel, and instead opted for that tried and true youkai tactic when dealing with humans: intimidation.

She straightened her back and looked him square in the eyes, her posture, seated as she was, became somehow _regal_, and even the old man paused as she no longer seemed a prisoner in a dark, ancient cell somewhere deep within the secret caverns under the Konoe compound in Kyoto, but rather a wise and powerful queen seated upon a throne. "You would ask something of _me_? _You_? What right do you have to ask _anything_ of me, _human_?" she said, making extra sure to spit the last word, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

The old man's smile returned. "You are skilled, but you are still powerless until I remove the final talisman, Youko. As for what I must ask, don't worry. It is a simple task."

Youko faltered, her regal bearing collapsed, and the illusion was destroyed. She sighed. "You won't release me or tell me what it is unless I agree beforehand, right?"

He nodded.

Youko sighed again, deeper, and nodded.

The old man nodded in return. "Very well, Youko. With this, you are bound to me for however long it takes you to complete your task." He burned the final talisman and Youko leaped to her feet, staggering against the wall for support.

"Be careful," the old man said as he helped support her. "It has been almost three hundred years since the last time you stood under your own power."

Youko stood there a moment, swaying as she tried to regain her balance. "It's been that long...?" She thought of her old friends, human, oni, and youkai, and wondered how many were still alive. With all the warfare back then, they had probably all died. She felt a sudden buildup of moisture in her eyes and quickly wiped it away.

"Yes," the old man replied as if he hadn't seen her tears. "The world has changed a great deal from the one you knew. Here, put this on," he said, handing her a ragged cloak.

Youko took it and draped it over her shoulders.

"The hood," he said.

Youko pulled the hood over her head and felt her vision _shift_. "W...what is this?" she asked hesitantly.

"Invisibility," the old man said. "I am the only one who can see you. Here, hold this," he said, passing her a strange, hinged contraption of some dark transparent material. "It has been a long time since you've seen the light of day, Youko. Come, follow me."

Youko did as the old man said, and followed with trepidation as he led her up long, winding passageways, speaking briefly with any guards he met along the way. Youko couldn't help, during these brief pauses, but to sneak around behind the guards and pick their pockets or put something on their chairs or make faces at them behind their backs, all the while the old man kept a straight face.

Finally, they paused in front of a heavy wooden door.

"Youko," the old man said. "Put those on," he said, pointing at the contraption he had given her, which she had already hooked on the front of her ragged old yukata. Youko gave him a confused look, so he deftly plucked them away, unfolded them, and placed them on her face over her eyes before she could react. She was reaching up to take them off when he opened the door.

Even with the sunglasses, the sunlight was too much for Youko after three hundred years in the darkness; she cried out and spun away, covering her eyes.

"Ah, Setsuna-kun, can I help you?" the old man said.

"Are you sure this is a wise course of action?" Something about the woman's voice caught Youko's attention; she let her senses extend a little, encountered something, and abruptly pulled back. The woman outside was...something special. Not just a youkai, not just a half-youkai, but...something more. Youko turned to look at her as well as she could with her eyes still trying to adjust to the light, and finally got a look at her.

The strange woman was short, wearing the traditional clothing of the Shinmeiryu, which had hardly changed after three hundred years. She bore a sword as long as she was tall, and she was looking in Youko's general direction, trying to find her through the invisibility effect of the cloak the old man had given her.

"I am as sure about this as I have ever been about anything," the old man said, then abruptly changed tack. "How is my granddaughter?"

Youko watched in surprise as the previously incredibly dangerous woman quickly devolved into a spluttering, blushing mess while the old man asked several embarrassing questions rapid fire. Finally, the formerly-dangerous woman just gave up and pointed off to the left.

"Fine! I give up! Just...just go!"

"Oh? I never intended to _embarrass_ you, Setsuna-kun," the old man said with keen good cheer that let the whole world know that that had been _exactly_ what he had been after. "Oh my, it seems I have spent far too much time here, I am afraid I must return to Mahora with all haste; please give my regards to my son in law and granddaughter."

Setsuna nodded miserably and the old man led Youko away.

"So what was all that?" Youko asked as she looked around at anything and everything. The Konoe estate had changed considerably in the past three hundred years; trees she remembered as small, scraggly thing were now huge, while others were simply gone. The same was true of various buildings, gardens, statuary...a lot of what she had known before was simply gone or replaced by something else. There was very little that had not been changed.

"That was my granddaughter's guardian," the old man said. "She is quite skilled."

Youko nodded in response. That much was obvious from the way the strange woman moved and stood. "Will you tell me about my task now?"

"Wait until we are in the car."

"...car?"

They arrived in front of a gate, and Youko fidgeted while the old man spoke to the two guards. One of them moved forward and grasped the handle, and Youko leaned forward. She had been trapped in this place for three hundred years, she would be glad if she never saw the place again-

The gate opened, and Youko froze, gaping at the landscape below.

The old man thanked the guards and nudged Youko. "I must go, thank you," he said to the guards, who thanked him and shut the gate after him. He took Youko by the arm, unable to miss her trembling.

"What...w-what have I missed...?" she said fearfully to herself as she stumbled along. The countryside that had once been the only thing in the wide valley she was now looking into had been overcome by the strangest buildings she had ever seen. Blocky and angular, short and tall, they filled the whole valley from end to end; the woods that had once been considered sacred were simply gone. Strangely colored _things_ moved along what could only have been roads, though she had never seen a road so smooth and straight, and now that she thought about it, the air carried a million odd scents she had never experienced before. A distant roar caught her attention and she looked up at the sky, shading her eyes against the glare of the sun, and caught sight of some _thing_ moving along high above, higher than a bird could fly.

"...what...?"

"It is an airplane," the old man said. "People ride in them. Come along, Youko. There will be plenty of time to catch up."

Youko blinked as she looked up at the airplane again, glad once again for the dark lenses the old man have given her to cut the glare. "This is..."

The old man nodded and patted her comfortingly on the arm. "I know it must be a lot to take in, Youko. After all, the world has changed considerably after-"

"This is amazing!" Youko blurted out. She ran a few dozen feet ahead down the winding path and caught view of the road, where one of those strange moving contraptions she had seen at a distance seemed to be stopped. She saw a woman sitting inside of it, looking rather bored, and couldn't contain her excitement as she ran up to it. "Wow! It's so big! What is it? People ride in it like a carriage, right?"

The woman inside the _thing_ opened up the side of it and got out when she spotted the old man. "Was it a failure?" she asked; she had not seen Youko because of the invisibility enchantment on the hooded cloak he had given her to wear.

The old man shook his head. "Youko, Youko!"

Youko glanced up from the grill of the car, which she thought looked oddly like a face. "Huh?"

"Take off the hood."

"Oh! Okay," Youko said as she pushed the hood back and continued her examination of the car. She poked at the tires, left dirty handprints on the glass, peered into the exhaust pipe (from which emanated a strange, unpleasant smell), and finally stepped back. "Wow...how do you go into it?" she asked excitedly.

Shizuna sighed and rubbed her forehead, while old Konoemon smiled mischievously. "As you can see, she has no knowledge of the modern world," he said. "It appears she will adjust easily, however...I will leave it to you, Shizuna-kun. Show her documentaries, give her books...she must learn to speak modern Japanese and read before the new school year begins."

Shizuna sighed, once again annoyed by her boss's spur of the moment planning. "I understand." 'Five months to teach someone about the modern world. Wonderful,' she thought bitterly.

Konoemon smiled. Haru-kun would need Youko's help mastering her power, after all. If Youko wasn't prepared to help her, then things could get ugly, very fast. He hadn't needed to look at old prophecies or read minds or anything like that; the girl's denial of her true nature was plain to see for someone like him. And besides, he would be doing a good deed by setting the imprisoned fox youkai free. This way was much kinder than simply releasing her out into the world with no knowledge of what had changed since her imprisonment began. He watched Shizuna open the door for Youko, who climbed inside awkwardly, her tail and ears twitching around in excitement as she poked and prodded at everything. He couldn't help but smile. Youko was still like a child, after all; among Youkai society, while not common, it wasn't exactly unusual for someone to still be considered a child after such a time. She was curious, and that was something he could use to keep her in line whenever she started to stray.

There would be a lot of things to take care of later, but for now, he would let her enjoy herself. After three hundred years of imprisonment for a crime she most likely didn't even commit, a little bit of time to play around and sate her curiosity was the least she deserved.

* * *

><p><strong>Miyoshi Youko<strong>

Born – 5/30/1994 (reported)

Height - 5'10"

Kendo Club

Likes – Playing pranks, crowds, friendly people

Dislikes - Kyoto

Roommate – Inoue Ai

Little Known Facts – She is excellent at Kendo and ukiyo-e

Titles: Student Number 20, Silver Fox

Close Friends: She likes everyone

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Youko is a character I've used under different names in several things in the past, usually as a quick villain. This time around, though, Youko has a more youthful personality and is much, _much_ more playful. In fact, she's the top prankster in Mahora. As for her looks, she is heavily based on the female version of Kuugen the fox from the anime series Wagaya no Oinari-sama, a.k.a. Our Home's Fox Deity in the US, though similar versions of her have been running through my head for the past decade, probably since the first time I saw a fox youkai in an anime. All versions of her, however, are extremely dangerous; she's not someone to dismiss out of hand. She has long white hair that she usually wears loose or occasionally pulls back to get it out of the way, and pale blue eyes that almost seem to take on a purple appearance in certain light. She has fox ears and a bushy fox tail, but also has the ability to hide them when she wants to.

Appearances: First Appearance- chap 3 (New Beginnings 3), Chapter 10 (Kyoto 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 0

Friendship - 14

Crush - 12

Love - 7

H - 20

Kamo's Comments: "Er...wow. Um...I would try to avoid being in the same room as her alone, aniki."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 17

Courage - 16

Attractiveness - 19

Intelligence - 16

Athleticism - 16

Instincts - 19

Anger - 8

Loner - 2

Outgoing -18

Popularity – 17

Attributes – White haired beauty, prankster, friendly girl, very long hair

Haruna's Comments: "This one's a real catch. Friendly, beautiful, athletic and brave...the only problem here is that she's an incurable prankster. Yeah...don't turn your back on her if she's in a playful mood."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Konoe Konoka: "Youko-san has paid her debts and is free to return to the world." *pleasantly refuses to say any more about it*

Sakurazaki Setsuna: "...I don't trust her. But...Konoka-ojou-sama says she must be left free, so I will not stop her unless she breaks that trust."

Scary Max-sensei: "Youko? She always skips my classes. Tell her I'm looking for her next time you see her, okay? We have a score to settle."


	22. MTNC 21 Caro Shaw

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 21 – Caro Shaw**

* * *

><p>Caro pulled herself up onto her favorite branch—the one with the wide, flat spot that was just like a comfortable bench—and let out a relieved sigh as she took in the view. From this high up in the World Tree, she could see the whole town <em>and<em> the surrounding regions. With her eyesight, she could even pick out people moving around on those distant streets. The branch above her shifted and she glanced up just in time to see Zazie jumping down to sit beside her. Caro smiled at her and unfolded the small package she had brought with her, and passed the strange girl a riceball. Zazie took the food and nodded her thanks while Caro took the other, then the two of them resumed looking out over the landscape as they ate.

"It's so nice here..." Caro said after a moment, turning her head to better face the light breeze that rustled the leaves. She smiled absently as the wind blew through her hair.

"Rice," Zazie said, then picked a stray piece of the riceball off of Caro's cheek and ate it. Caro smiled at her and took another bite, and they sat in a friendly silence.

"Ah, you're like the sister I never had," Caro said a moment later. Zazie looked at her for a moment, and nodded in agreement. "Do you have any siblings?"

Zazie stuffed the last of the riceball in her mouth and looked upward thoughtfully. She swallowed and nodded. "Lots."

"Ooh..."

Silence.

"..."

Zazie knew what Caro was about to ask, so she decided to answer before the question could be spoken. "Not on good terms."

"...oh..."

Mournful silence.

They watched as a cloud that looked remarkably like a riceball floated by far above.

"I'm sorry I asked about something so painful..."

"Not a problem," Zazie replied easily.

And, just like that, the tension was gone and they had returned to the easy silence that seemed to characterize their relationship.

Zazie turned to Caro after a moment, and Caro, feeling the other girl's attention upon her, looked over at her. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Zazie shook her head and looked back out over the landscape below them. "You'd be a good sister."

Caro couldn't help but grin hugely at that. After so long alone, it appeared she had finally found a place where she could be at ease with someone who trusted her, and whom she found herself able to trust. It appeared Zazie was just the person she had needed to find.

"Thanks, Zazie."

Zazie cocked her head to the side curiously, but didn't ask. "You're welcome."

They turned their attention back to the world below, and the sky above.

* * *

><p><strong>Caro Shaw<strong>

Born – 2/28/1995 (reported)

Height - 5'

Art Club

Likes – Bunny rabbits, tall trees, peaceful times

Dislikes – strife, loud music

Roommate – Sasaki Rina

Little Known Facts – She is very good with her hands.

Titles: Student Number 21

Close Friends: Zazie

Enemies: Kobayashi Ayumi

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Caro Shaw started life as yet another character inspired by the Nanoha anime. In this case, she is based partially on the character of Caro Ru Lushe from Nanoha Season 3. However, basic shyness and first name aside, they're pretty different. Caro is incredibly strong and agile as evidenced by the ease with which she climbs up and down the world tree, but she refuses to show her ability in normal, everyday life, partially out of a fear of accidentally hurting someone, and partially out of a fear of her true nature being discovered. Luckily, she's found a friend in Zazie, and the two get along very well. Physically, Caro appears short and unimpressive, and shows no outward sign of her power. She has brown hair cut off sharply at shoulder level (think something like Madoka's, but longer and with different bangs). Her classmate Kobayashi Ayumi sees her constantly holding back as a sign of weakness and, needing someone to take out her frustrations on, tends to pick on her in a manner that is slowly escalating and may eventually turn ugly. Caro is naturally frustrated, but doesn't want to hurt her.

Appearances: First Appearance: Chap 1 (New Beginnings 1)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 4

Friendship - 7

Crush - 0

Love - 4

H - 0

Kamo's Comments: "She's pretty cute, but she doesn't really strike me as girlfriend material. Must be the whole underage look she's got going on..."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 16

Courage - 3

Attractiveness - 8

Intelligence - 18

Athleticism - 18

Instincts - 16

Anger - 4

Loner - 17

Outgoing - 1

Popularity – 8

Attributes – cute, short girl, awkward conversation, hiding a secret

Haruna's Comments: "'Cute as a button', isn't that what they say? This girl's scary in her own way. I think it'd be a good idea to make sure she's on our side as soon as possible, Negi."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Zazie Rainyday: "Nice."

Sasaki Makie: "Kyaaa~ she's so cute~"


	23. MTNC 22 Sasaki Rina

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 22 – Sasaki Rina**

* * *

><p>"Aah~I wonder how I did on the English test~" Rina said, flopping down dramatically on her desktop. One of the two girls who shared the desk in front of her, Ono Ran, didn't even bother to look at her as she checked her homework.<p>

"Do you really want to know?" the spooky girl asked.

Rina thought about it for a moment, and sighed. "...no. But if I did bad, Negi-sensei might ask me to stay after class~"

Ran snorted, but declined to comment.

"I'll just be glad to pass," Mori Kumiko, the girl who shared the desk with her, said idly when the silence grew too uncomfortably.

Rina stuck out her tongue. "You're smart though, you always do well! Why don't you ever let me copy your answers, Kumiko-chan~" she whined.

Kumiko rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the pink haired girl.

Inoue Ai, the girl that sat in front of her, hurried in just ahead of Negi, locked eyes with her, and sat down while the teacher went to stand at the podium.

"Okay students, I have finished grading your tests from yesterday. Iincho-san, will you please pass them out?" Negi said, holding the stack out so the class rep, Nakamura Sachiko, could take them.

Rina waited impatiently, bouncing in her seat, for Sachiko to make her way around to her table.

"Arrgh...!" Aiko groaned from the next row over. Rina couldn't help but grin; Aiko-chan usually did well on tests, but it looked like she would be joining Rina in the Idiot Brigade~

Sachiko finally moved over to Rina's row and began passing out papers there. Rina watched, eyes all glittery and excited, as Sachiko gave Ai-chan and Ran-chan at the table in front of her their papers, and then paused beside her. She held out two papers, which Rina took. Sachiko moved on and Mori Kumiko reached for her test results, but Rina pulled it out of reach.

"Come on Rina, give me my paper," Kumiko said tiredly, as if she had been through this routine a thousand times.

"Huhuhu, no way! Not until I see what I made!" she said, placing both papers face down on her desk. "First...mine!" she said, flipping it over.

Kumiko looked at the paper, then up at Rina's stunned, slack-jawed expression, then back to the paper, and cracked up. "Ha! I can't believe you got a twelve! I didn't know that was even possible!"

Rina pouted. "Well the test was really hard! I bet _you_ didn't do well either!" she said, reaching for Kumiko's test paper, but the other girl snatched it away from her and turned it over, revealing the score.

"Ninety seven?" Rina said, stunned. "I didn't know that was even possible! You traitor!"

"Heh!"

"Now now class, please settle down," Negi said, interrupting the class's usual disarray upon receiving test results. "Those of you whose names I call will need to see me after school today for extra lessons. Abe Aiko, Rosemary Dean, Hayashi Fujiko, Yoshida Ume, Possum Cade, Sasaki Rina, and Kondo Kai. Please be sure to remember; I would hate to interrupt your club meetings by coming to pick you up," he said, smiling crookedly in a way that left half the class breathless and most of the other half swooning. "Now, please open your textbooks to page forty five..."

Rina tuned out the teacher's words in favor of staring blankly at him and admiring how pretty he was, but she couldn't help but wonder about some of the others that were called. Aiko _never_ did bad on tests, and Fujiko usually did pretty well too, since she always studied. She sort of expected the others, but still, it was surprising.

* * *

><p>Rina breezed through the rest of the classes, not really paying attention, and waited with bated breath for Negi to return to the classroom so she could spend time with him.<p>

"He sure is taking his time," Rosemary grumbled from her usual seat near the front. She had made a forty one on the test.

"Yeah," Possum said noncommittally; she was currently sitting on the desktop in front of Rosemary, looking bored out of her mind as she swung her legs. Rina knew she had almost made the cutoff point, but hadn't quite managed it.

Rina looked at the others. Fujiko sat in her usual seat off to the side by the window, looking embarrassed to be there, while Ume, seated in her usual place behind Rosemary, munched away on a cookie, part of a batch she had baked after school the day before. Ume saw her watching and offered her a cookie. Rina took it with glee.

Aiko walked in a moment later with Kai in tow and gave Possum a look, shooing her off of her desk. Possum plopped down in the empty chair next to her and silence descended over the room. After a moment Kai moved up from her usual seat in the back to sit closer to the others.

They waited.

After a moment, Aiko went to the doorway and looked out.

Rina sighed and began drumming her fingers on the desk. She wanted to see Negi-sensei, not waste time like this...it was so annoying~!

Aiko abruptly hurried back to her desk. "Someone's coming!"

The seven students settled down and waited as footsteps echoed up and down the hall outside. Rina watched the doorway expectantly, waiting for Negi-sensei to step through the doorway.

The short pink haired woman in the blue tracksuit walked into the room with a spring in her step and a great big smile on her face. "Hello everyone! Something came up, so Negi-kun asked me to cover for him! I'm Makie-sensei~!" she said, waving at them.

Rina smacked her forehead into her desk. "_WHY ARE YOU HERE?_" Wasn't it enough that her idiot big sister was always ruining her life during P.E.? Now she had gone and taken Negi-sensei's place...!

Makie beamed at her. "Rina-chan! I didn't know you would be here! Are you one of the Baka Rangers?" Rina moaned and began rubbing her forehead.

'Ugh, not _that_ again...' Rina thought. Makie used to go on and on about the 'Baka Rangers' in her letters home; Rina had always rolled her eyes at the repetitive stories.

Kai blinked. "...Baka Rangers? What's that?"

Makie turned on her, smiling brightly. "Oh! I guess kids these days don't do that anymore, huh? Anyway, the Baka Rangers are the ones who always fail their tests! There were five of us in my class, and I was Baka Pink! Ah~those were fun times."

The students were silent as they watched Makie, who beamed back at them. This continued for a moment.

"Um, Makie-sensei? Why are we here?" Possum asked.

Makie turned toward her. "Hmm...Baka Yellow!"

"...excuse me?"

"You're Baka Yellow! And...you're Baka Black!" she said, pointing at Rosemary, who cocked an eyebrow. "Baka Blue! Baka Green!" she said, pointing at Ume and Kai, who glanced at each other. "You are Baka White!" she said, pointing at Aiko. "Baka Red!" she said, pointing at Fujiko, who looked utterly humiliated.

Rina was almost afraid to ask, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Then who am I?"

Makie turned to beam at her, and Rina nearly wilted from the overabundance of sisterly love and pride. "You, you are special! You must carry on my legacy! The legacy of...Baka Pink!" she said, pointing dramatically at her. "Bear this burden well, young one," she said gravely, nodding.

Rina rolled her eyes. 'Idiot big sis.' "Let's just get this over with," she grumbled.

* * *

><p>It was nearly an hour later that Rina left the school building, utterly disgusted. 'Sometimes,' she thought, 'I hate Makie.' There wasn't much conviction behind the thought, however. She had known her big sister was stupid, but she hadn't thought Makie was <em>that<em> stupid. Failing every test? How did something like _that_ happen? Even Rina passed most of her tests...! Except when she wanted to...spend time with...Negi-sensei...

She felt a chill and stopped walking. If...if her big sister was smart enough to come up with a plan like that... She cut that thought off and whirled to look up at the classroom window, where she could just make out a blob of pink moving around.

Maybe Makie was more intelligent than she had thought...maybe Makie was more intelligent than _anyone_ thought...! It was a terrifying idea. If Makie was actually that smart, then maybe she had taken Negi-sensei's place purposely, to make the girls who had been forced to stay late learn what they were taught faster because Negi-sensei wasn't there to be stared at...!

She dropped her bag as a scary thought ran through her head and took off running back toward the school. What if Makie had just wanted to get them all out of the way quickly? Negi-sensei might be in trouble...! She darted through the entrance, paused just long enough to kick her shoes off and put on her indoor shoes, and ran as fast as she could for the stairwell. She ran up the stairs two at a time, grabbed the rail, and launched herself halfway up the next flight before she tripped and scrambled up the rest of the way on hands and knees. She had to warn him...! Makie was...Makie was...! She finally arrived at the correct floor, her chest heaving, and paused to catch her breath.

"Ahaha, you're so cute!"

Rina froze. That had been Makie...! She moved to the entrance to the stairway, stuck her head out for a look, and quickly pulled it back. Makie and Negi-sensei were in the hallway!

"Haha, you're the same as ever, Makie," Negi said.

"Hehe~"

Rina thought frantically. Makie and Negi-sensei were all alone up here; she was the only one on this floor to protect him! Makie could throw him into a classroom at any moment and...and...and...and...with Negi-sensei...and... Rina paused for a moment as her whole head went red. "With Negi-sensei...and...and..." she said aloud, then shook her head to clear it and used a napkin to stop her nosebleed and clean up the puddle of drool on the floor.

"Hmm? What did you want to show me, Makie?"

"Heh, well...I wanted to show you..._this_!"

"Oh my, quite magnificent. You have grown quite a bit, Makie! Congratulations!"

"Heheh, I know, right? Here, hold it!"

"Okay." There was a brief pause. "Very nice; the shape and texture is perfect! It's firm, and yet soft enough that I feel as if I could lay my head on it and fall asleep," Negi said excitedly. "I sort of want to squeeze it..."

"Ahahaha, you're so cute, Negi-kun. Go ahead, I don't mind~"

Rina's head exploded. 'What was _that_? Unsavory behavior between two teachers...! I have to save him!'

She jumped out into the hallway, pointing at her big sister with one hand and covering her eyes with the other, so as to avoid seeing anything that might scar her for life. "Stop! You can't do such things to Negi-sensei! I mean in the school!" she said, shaking.

"Oh?" Makie replied. Rina kept her eyes covered. "Did you want to feel it too, Rina-chan? Here," she said, walking up. Rina backed away until she bumped into a wall. "Here, Rina-chan~ Hold out your hand~"

"N-no! Pervert sister, stay away...!" Rina cried out as she struggled to push Makie away, incidentally uncovering her eyes to reveal Makie standing there with Negi-sensei, looking dumbfounded and holding a magnificently embroidered pillow. "Uh...huh?"

Makie cocked her head to the side. "Don't you want to see this pillow I made? My skills have grown a lot since I started, and Negi-kun says I got the firmness just right," she said, holding it out.

Rina looked from Makie's face down to the pillow and back again. "I-I-I'm not feeling so well," she said. "I th-think I'll go back to the dorm now." Her gaze turned to Negi-sensei, who moved up close to her. "S-sensei?"

"Hmm...your face is red. Do you have a fever?" he asked. He moved to put his hand on her forehead, but she jumped back.

"No! I'm fine! I'm going now!"

Makie gave her a concerned look. "Be careful okay? I don't want my precious little sister to get sick..."

Negi nodded. "Yes, that's right. I don't want you to get sick, Rina-san. Please, take better care of yourself."

Rina apologized for her misunderstanding and excused herself, and was on her way back to the stairway when something made her glance back at them.

Makie looked back at her at the same time, met her gaze, narrowed her eyes sneakily, and grinned a mischievous grin. She winked at her, then turned back around and continued her conversation with Negi.

Rina staggered as her whole world came crashing down around her. _Makie had known exactly what she was doing. She had purposely made her conversation with Negi sound suggestive. Makie had probably even expected her to return to the school building._

She leaned against the wall for support as her head spun. Makie...Makie really _was_ that smart...! She staggered toward the stairs.

Her big sister was _terrifying_.

* * *

><p><strong>Sasaki Rina<strong>

Born - 4/18/1994

Height - 4'11"

Gymnastics Club

Likes – big sister, strawberry shortcake, sweet stuff

Dislikes – big sister, lemons, sour stuff

Roommate – Caro Shaw

Little Known Facts – She is a very good singer

Titles: Student Number 22, Baka Pink

Close Friends: Everyone, Inoue Ai, Mori Kumiko

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Rina was created as she is now in an instant when I was looking through a list of Japanese surnames during the creation process for the new class and came across the name Sasaki. The idea for the little sister of one of Negi's original students to look almost exactly like her and act like she hates her sprang into mind almost immediately, and I knew I had to use it; and so Sasaki Rina was born. Rina looks a lot like Makie did at her age, though she's not quite as stupid as Makie often appears to be. And, like her big sister, she's got quite the crush on Negi; the strongest in the whole class, in fact. Unlike Makie, however, she does not have a love of gymnastics; she is only involved in the club because she's fairly good at it and her mother expected it of her. Rina is a character I've come to enjoy writing, since she runs the gamut of emotions from happy and silly to mean and sarcastic, though for the most part she's a good girl. I hope you like her!

Appearances: First Appearance- chap 4 (New Beginnings 4)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 16

Friendship - 6

Crush - 18

Love - 12

H - 9

Kamo's Comments: "Heh, just like Makie. This one's got a huge crush on you, aniki; she'll do whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 18

Courage - 12

Attractiveness - 13

Intelligence - 13

Athleticism - 14

Instincts - 6

Anger - 5

Loner - 2

Outgoing - 19

Popularity – 18

Attributes – Gymnast, twintails, friendly girl, popular, short girl, doesn't like to be alone

Haruna's Comments: "She's cute, but she's also a bundle of issues. I'd keep her at arm's length if I were you, Negi."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous underclassman: "Aaaa~h, Rina-sempai is so graceful! I want to join the Gymnastics Club and have her teach me!"

Anonymous boy from the boys' middle school: "Sasaki Rina? Everybody knows who she is. Cute, right? Gymnast? Yeah, I'm gonna go after her as soon as we get to high school."

Sasaki Makie: "She's my precious little sister! Hehe~" *looks away slyly* "So fun to tease, fufufu"


	24. MTNC 23 Sato Gin

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 23 – Sato Gin**

* * *

><p>Sato Gin sat sulking in the police station, her arms crossed over her chest as she scowled at the wall. The middle aged man seated across from her just watched her with an irritated expression.<p>

"You do realize stealing a car is a crime, right?"

Gin focused on trying to stare a small stain on the wall out of existence.

"And so is speeding, for that matter. And driving without a license."

"...it wasn't _that_ bad," Gin muttered.

"...you tried to drag race Yamazaki-san in her thirty year old Nissan Cedric."

"She lined up first!"

"_She's eighty three years old!" _the officer shouted, smacking his hand on the table in frustration as he came up half out of his chair. He sat back down and just looked at her for a moment, then sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You can't keep doing things like this, Gin-chan."

Gin tried to focus on the stain on the wall and not on breaking down and blurting out everything. Her uncle was so annoying...! Luckily, someone knocked on the door a moment later.

"Come in."

The door opened and Gin sank down further into her uncomfortable chair as her mother bustled in, spouting apologies to everyone she could see.

"Oh Gin-chan, honey, you _must_ stop this ridiculous behavior! If you don't, that nice Maeda boy won't marry you-"

Gin sunk further still into herself and let her mind wander while her mother lectured her. 'She only cares about Maeda's _money_,' she thought bitterly. Her mother was such a...such a... luckily, her uncle saved her.

"Hello Mizuki," he said stiffly. Gin's mother clamped her mouth shut and glared at him, and Gin couldn't help but grin, a fact she quickly hid. Her mother _hated_ her father's brother.

"Hello, _Kenta_," she replied, all but spitting the name at the officer.

Gin shot a quick look at them, but even more quickly looked away. Veins were bulging in their foreheads; that was never a good sign.

"How's Ryuu?" her uncle asked, grinning like a yakuza who's just had someone spill coffee on his shiny new shoes.

"_Just. Fine," _her mother said between clenched teeth. Gin's father, Sato Ryuu, was a sore spot between them. Gin's mother wanted him to quit driving race cars and settle down to an office job somewhere (just _what_ office job, she didn't seem to care; she just wanted him to have a more normal job), while her uncle fully applauded her father's efforts and had helped him get into racing in the first place. Gin herself had always wanted to race too, but if her mother had anything to say about the matter...

"I heard he won his last race," her uncle said, and Gin couldn't help but grin even wider as she desperately looked away. The fact that her father was actually _good_ at racing made it all the worse in her mother's opinion.

"I don't have to stand here and listen to this!" her mother said as she stalked over and grabbed Gin's arm, yanking her up out of her chair.

"Hey! Ow!" Gin shouted, surprised at her mother's vehemence.

"What do you think you're doing?" her uncle demanded.

"I'm taking her back home, and then I'm going to send her to a private school in America where she can't cause any more trouble, _that's_ what I'm doing!" She rounded on her and Gin flinched back, looking down at the floor in spite of her height advantage. She was easily half a head taller than her mother at this point, and would likely grow a few more inches before she stopped, but she simply couldn't face her when she was angry. "And as for _you_! How _dare_ you humiliate me like this? Stealing a car? Running poor Yamazaki-san off the road? I _knew _your father was a bad influence on you, I should have divorced him years ago! Or better yet, not even married him at all!"

Gin shrunk back at that. Didn't her mother understand what that would mean...? She flinched as her mother went into another tirade about 'poor Yamazaki-san', who had actually been doing quite well until that cat jumped out in front of her.

"Are you even listening to me?" her mother demanded. "Fine, if that's how it is, I'm calling the Maedas and telling them the wedding date is to be the first of next month. Then maybe I can get you out of my hair!"

"Oh?" a tall, thin old woman said, something in her low, soft voice cutting through the shouting and exploding tension in the room with ease. Everyone stopped moving and turned to look at the figure in the doorway. Gin's mind was still ticking over, trying to understand how her mother could want to marry her off at the age of thirteen to a nineteen year old boy she hardly even knew just to get rid of her.

"H...how could you...?" Gin muttered. Nobody seemed to hear her.

The old woman, Takaki Hoshiko, Gin's great aunt on her mother's side (a woman she resembled quite a bit), made her way across the room to stand beside her, and folded her in a hug. Gin burst into tears and clung to the old woman, who gave her mother and uncle a look that made the both of them squirm and look sheepishly at the ground like two children who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It was an effect the old woman had worked out down to a science. After a moment she looked down at Gin and Gin looked up at her, her crying momentarily slowed.

"You're so frustrated in this place, aren't you?" she asked gently. Gin burst into tears again and buried her face in the woman's shoulder. "There there, you don't have to stay here if it's that bad." Gin shuddered, and the woman continued on. "I know about what's been happening at school, Gin-chan." Gin shuddered again, harder, as she recalled the many, many incidents that stuck out over _years_ of torment. Her height, her white hair, her deep voice...kids at school called her all sorts of names and constantly played pranks on her; she had enough backbone and size to chase them off whenever there were only one or two, but when they went at her in big groups, there was nothing she could do but take a beating; the officials at the school simply ignored it, calling it 'kids being kids' at best, and claiming it was Gin's fault for acting and looking the way she did at worst. She could handle beatings; she could even handle the little things, small pranks designed to irritate or humiliate her. Fake love notes, words and obscene pictures scratched into her desktop, ripped up notebooks... The worst, however, was the way her mother often had, when angry with her, of saying the same things as the teachers did, of dismissing the abuse as overblown or saying she brought it on herself. She loved her mother, but sometimes she couldn't help but hate that shallow, frustrated side of her too.

"I can help you, if you need it," the old woman said kindly. Gin nodded, unable to meet her eyes, and the old woman smiled. "Very well. I have an old friend who is the headmaster at a special school...I think you'll fit right in, Gin-chan."

"Y-you can't, she's going to be married next month-" Gin's mother said in a feeble attempt to seize control of the situation, but a glare from Hoshiko shut her up quickly.

"Mizuki, prepare any documents you may need. Gin-chan will transfer before school comes back from summer vacation."

"Wouldn't it be better to finish out the year-"

"No." The old woman's voice cut like a knife, and Gin's mother shuffled out of the room in a hurry. Her uncle, sensing the need of the two for some privacy, excused himself as well, shooing out the other officers who had come in with Gin's mother, and shut the door behind him.

Gin and Hoshiko stood there in the otherwise empty room for a long moment before Hoshiko held her out at arm's length so she could look her in the eye.

"Have you been practicing?" she asked.

Gin nodded. "Y-yeah...I'm pretty good now, I can get it to work almost every time."

Hoshiko nodde. "That's very good, you're already doing much better than I did at your age. Have you met anyone else who can do what you can?"

Gin shook her head.

"That's understandable; they'll want to keep their abilities hidden. Just remember this, Gin-chan: no matter how lonely you feel, no matter how cold the world may seem, _they are out there_. All you have to do is find them. Okay?"

Gin nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Hoshiko grinned crookedly. "So ladylike. Now what's this about you getting married?"

Gin collapsed into a chair, drained after the stressful incidents of the day. "Mama arranged for me to marry a boy from a good family. She says he's the only one who would have me..."

Her aunt rolled her eyes, a gesture Gin found absurdly amusing in the normally stiff, severe old woman; her great aunt was _so _different in private than when others were around...! "Tch. Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we? Now, let me tell you about the school you'll be attending... It's a fairly large boarding school, covering all grades. My old friend is the headmaster of the middle school and I've told him all about you; he will be delighted to let you enroll..."

* * *

><p><strong>Sato Gin<strong>

Born - 3/1/1995

Height - 5'8"

Art Club

Likes – her deep voice, being spooky, the smell of old books

Dislikes – people in general

Roommate – Nakamura Sachiko

Little Known Facts – She is a very good driver, and even won a few street races in her father's car before being sent to Mahora.

Titles: Student Number 23, Silver (nickname bestowed by P.E. teacher)

Close Friends: Mako Sylvester (after the events of the Kyoto trip)

Enemies: No real enemies

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Sato Gin is the third member of the 'Creepy Trio', alongside Mako Sylvester and Ono Ran. As a character, she started out as a concept something like 'a creepy white haired girl'. Yeah...not much to work with. I don't remember when she became so tall or antagonistic, but it felt like the right way for her to behave as a character; she's had a rough time until she transferred to Mahora, so naturally she'd be pretty defensive. This has grown to occasional acts of jerkassitude; I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how she ends up. Physically, she's fairly tall with shoulder length white hair and bright green eyes. She's actually quite attractive, but most people forget this when they speak with her; she's very defensive and insecure due to her height, hair color, and eye color (all of which made a lot of trouble for her in her previous school, where everyone was fairly short with black hair and eyes that didn't draw much attention), and prone to holding grudges and playing tricks on people to get revenge for perceived insults.

Appearances: First Appearance- chap 3 (New Beginnings 3), Chapter 8 (Preparations)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 4

Friendship - 4

Crush - 7

Love - 8

H - 5

Kamo's Comments: "Not much to go on here...She's also jealous and clingy, so you'd be better off staying away from this one, aniki. More trouble than it's worth."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 8

Courage - 15

Attractiveness - 15

Intelligence - 15

Athleticism - 10

Instincts - 9

Anger - 17

Loner - 12

Outgoing - 6

Popularity – 8

Attributes – Creepy girl, jerk, white hair, startling eyes

**Haruna's Comments**: "She has a lot of problems, but I think she can get over most of them with a little help. Going past that, her ability is really something else, isn't it? It could be very useful if she refined her skills. Overall...this one needs a lot of work, but could be a strong ally some day if you take the time to nurture her." *sly grin* "Are you up to some ~nurturing~ Negi-kun~?"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Anonymous Underclassman: "Sato-san, from Negi-sensei's class? She's...sort of scary."

P.E. Assistant Teacher Sasaki Makie: "Sato-chan? She's...she has...um..." *embarrassed pause* "She's...good at dodgeball?"

P.E. Teacher Max Linell: "Silver's got potential, she just needs training, is all. I just wish she wasn't so aggravating..."


	25. MTNC 24 Nakamura Sachiko

Note: This one contains spoilers about Sachiko's past and special skills. You should probably read the Kyoto arc before this.

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 24 – Nakamura Sachiko<strong>

* * *

><p>"Sachiko, have you packed everything you'll need?"<p>

"Yes, mother."

"You have your spare uniform?"

"Yes, mother."

"Underwear? Socks? Your special products?" This was her mother's code word for the various goods designed with feminine hygiene in mind.

"...yes, mother."

"You aren't planning on going around the school wearing a short skirt like some floozy, are you?"

*sigh* "No, mother."

"Are you sure? I know how those all girls' schools are, you know. There are _wild_ girls there; they'll take _anything_ as an invitation." She spoke the word 'wild' as if it held some sort of mystical power.

Nakamura Sachiko, not-yet-class rep of Negi's new class, sighed again and did her best to hide her rolling eyes from her mother, who had been lecturing her about the dangers of life in a faraway girls only boarding school for the past three days, a subject upon which she apparently considered herself very well educated.

"You aren't going to wander around town alone after school, are you?"

"I can defend myself, mother."

"Oh? The way you so _handily_ defended yourself against those boys at your other school?"

Sachiko's face went red with fury and humiliation and she didn't answer for a moment. How _dare_ her mother bring that up! She had almost...almost... She could have gotten out of the situation! But...they were all bigger, older boys, and she was still a young girl. There were eleven of them...three, she could have handled with ease. Four...sure, why not. Maybe as many as five or six, if she had room to maneuver...but eleven? The situation had been such that she would have been forced to use the skills her teacher had expressly forbidden her from using; if she had tried to fight back, some of them would have died...she had almost been ready to... It was a miracle that a teacher had stumbled upon the scene before any of them had started something. She had been stupid, naïve, far too trusting of the boy who had lured her to the ambush spot, and all involved had almost paid a very hefty price for her mistake.

"H-how could you _say_ that?" she finally asked, her voice incredulous as she tried to process how her mother could possibly have thought it was a good idea to bring up the subject so flippantly.

Her mother was quiet for a long moment, apparently only then realizing what she had said, and no doubt thinking the wrong thing. Sachiko, for her part, was worried that she had nearly lost control and had been on the verge of killing other human beings; her mother thought she was terrified about being trapped in a situation where she could have been raped. Sachiko, for her part, couldn't decide which outcome would have been worse. After a moment she moved closer and tried to put a reassuring hand on Sachiko's shoulder, but Sachiko shied away.

"Honey, now listen-"

"Go away, leave me alone."

She waited a long, long moment, staring down at the things on her bed, before her mother finally left the room, closing the door behind her. Sachiko took a series of deep breaths, using the calming exercises her teacher had taught her until she got her pounding heart under control and the rage subsided.

Her mother thought she was helpless.

Those...those _bastards_ had thought she was helpless.

She was far, far from helpless. Had she been willing, she could have killed half of them within a few seconds; the problem was the gap in her skills. She was quite good with the basics of her art, enough to receive the equivalent of a black belt in karate, a tremendous feat for someone so young. She had tons of stamina and was extremely fast due to her small size, but her size also worked against her. She had no heavy hitting attacks that weren't possibly fatal, while her mastery of the basics would do little more than leave an adult bruised and angry. She could hold off several people until help arrived, but due to her size and build she lacked the heavy blows that would knock a man out of a fight without killing him. And her rage...she had worked hard, all her life, to keep _that_ monster under control. If her mother had known the true extent of the anger she felt at those stupid boys, at herself, at her mother for putting her in that school in the first place, well...Sachiko had no doubt her mother would try to lock her away in her room 'for her own good'. She had no intention of letting her mother know the true extent of her training, either. She was pretty sure her father knew, since it was a friend from his side of the family that had trained her, but he obviously trusted her enough to use her judgment properly, because he hadn't put a stop to her training or spoken much about it to her mother on his rare visits home.

She shook her head to clear it as she put another set of underwear in her bag and zipped it shut. With this, she was ready. She gathered her bags and stood there beside her bed for a moment, looking around at the room she wouldn't see again for quite some time, if everything went well. She knew every inch of that room, all the small marks and dents any room gathered through the years. To be honest, she was relieved to finally be leaving. Without her mother's constant questions and interference with anything she tried to do on her own, she would be free. She smiled a little.

Yes, things were going to change soon.

"Sachiko! Are you ready yet? It's time to leave for the train station!" her mother called out from downstairs.

"I'm coming!" Sachiko replied. What was the name of the school? 'Mahora Middle School', or something like that? She liked the sound of it. She opened the door and stepped out of the room, turning off the light as she went.

* * *

><p><strong>Nakamura Sachiko<strong>

Born - 7/17/1994

Height - 5'5"

Tea Ceremony Club

Likes – Tea cups, training, baseball

Dislikes – distance between people

Roommate – Sato Gin

Little Known Facts – She is a person of many skills

Titles: Student Number 24, Class Rep/Iincho

Close Friends: Urashima Taro, Mochizuki Kagami, Kagurazaka Asuna

Enemies: None, but often butts heads with Miyoshi Youko over the latter's pranks

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: First off, Sachiko is not like like other girls. Nakamura Sachiko, designed from the beginning to be class-rep material; from a fairly well off family, quiet, pretty, elegant, fancy sounding name... Well, she mostly turned out right. Sachiko was one of my favorite characters from the start. She's a quiet and thoughtful person, and even though she tries to be nice and talkative to her classmates, she's incredibly awkward in social situations and prefers to quietly stand off to the side where she can't embarrass herself or accidentally offend someone. She also trusts a very small number of people to behave properly, and therefore is likely to take on too much work herself in order to ensure it gets done correctly. She is actually quite popular among students outside her class for her calm, elegant appearance and occasional act of kindness. Those actually in her class know how quiet and standoffish she is, and that it takes a while for her to warm up to someone. As for her mysterious fighting style, it's a secret modified form of Capoeira designed to take down the opponent quickly. Sachiko is incredibly good at it, but as it was designed for a larger, much stronger man, a whole group of powerful blows end up little more than a distraction when performed by her. Her teacher recognized this problem right away and encouraged her to explore other fighting styles and incorporate what worked best. Sachiko took his words to heart, especially since the incident at her last school, and has been doing her best to improve her repertoire. Physically, Sachiko appears to be just your average girl, except prettier and more serious. She has long, dark red (almost black, actually) hair that she wears loose, and dark green eyes.

Appearances: First Appearance- chap 3 (New Beginnings 3)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 4

Sisterly - 4

Friendship - 18

Crush - 8

Love - 10

H - 8

Kamo's Comments: "She really likes you and she's got a bit of a dirty mind, but mostly she just wants to be friends with you, aniki. I think you should be careful around this one, though...if you lead her on and she finds out you aren't serious, she seems like she'd be likely to snap."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 9

Courage - 17

Attractiveness - 14

Intelligence - 18

Athleticism - 17

Instincts - 18

Anger - 20

Loner - 20

Outgoing - 3

Popularity – 18

Attributes – class rep, quiet, pretty, dark red hair, peaceful, unreachable

Haruna's Comments: "This is one lonely girl. I say take it easy when dealing with her until she's comfortable, then go in for the kill...!"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Kagurazaka Asuna: "Sachiko's pretty good. She'll be a real lady some day, I think. Unlike some other class reps I knoww..." *smirks at Yukihiro Ayaka*

Anonymous Underclassman: "Nakamura-sama is as an angel fallen to Earth...!"

Anonymous Young Biker Gang Member: "Yeah, I'll admit it. I stopped her in the street one day and tried to mug her. Next thing I know, I wake up in the hospital with a killer headache and my face swelled up like a blowfish. If you take my advice, you'll steer clear of her. She's trouble, big time."


	26. MTNC 25 Mori Kumiko

Note: This one ties in with my short story A Robot's Life, which can be found on this site.

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 25 – Mori Kumiko<strong>

* * *

><p>Mori Kumiko sat on a park bench, waiting for the others to arrive. She pulled out her cell phone to check the time, and rolled her eyes. "<em>Why<em> did I think it was a good idea to show up fifteen minutes early...?" she said aloud as she leaned back against the backrest and looked up at the sky. "I never should've listened to Ono and agreed to come..."

* * *

><p><em>Earlier That Day in Class...<em>

* * *

><p>"Ahhhh, I wanna go home~!" Sasaki Rina whined as she leaned backward over the back of her chair, stretching. She left herself draped over it for a moment as she looked upside down at the student behind her, who just so happened to be Evangeline A.K. McDowell. "Hey, Eva-san, what do you do for fun?" she asked suddenly.<p>

Eva just raised an eyebrow and gave her a bored look. A few years ago, she might have snapped at her; before she met the Thousand Master, she might even have turned the girl into a slave simply for having the gall to initiate a conversation with her. But for now, she 'hmph'ed and propped her head up with her hand.

"Suck the blood of the innocent, despoil virgins, that sort of thing," Eva said carelessly, waving a hand to show she couldn't be bothered to give a real answer.

Rina was nonplussed at Eva's response, so she sat up straight in her chair and looked down at her school work, then turned to the girl sitting beside her. "Hey, Mori-chan, how about you?"

Kumiko glanced at her. The first time she had spoken to her, Kumiko had been surprised that someone as pretty and popular as Rina was speaking to her of her own free will. Sure, they had been classmates for a while now, but Sasaki Rina had always gravitated toward a certain crowd, and that crowd most certainly did not include the likes of Mori Kumiko, who mostly preferred to stay away from crowds altogether.

"I look through telescopes," she finally said. 'Why did she even ask?' she thought. Rina was really strange.

Rina slumped over on her desk. "Ah~ so boring~! Why doesn't anyone do karaoke anymore?"

Kumiko tuned out the girl she shared a table with and tried to focus on her math homework when the girl who sat in front of her, Ono Ran, turned around and stared at her until she looked up. "You should go," she said before Kumiko could ask what she wanted.

Kumiko blinked at her. "Huh?"

"You should go with Sasaki-san," she said again.

Kumiko glanced at Rina, who was now bemoaning her lack of something sweet to eat, and sighed. She had always been relatively friendly with Ono; they had more in common than the other students seated nearby. Nevertheless, it was strange to have Ono offer a suggestion to her like that; it was also common knowledge that if Ono Ran gave you advice, you took it. Kumiko nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll go," she said.

Rina perked up immediately. "Really? Really really?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Ah! That's great! You have to come too, Ai-chan!" Rina exclaimed, tugging on Inoue Ai's ponytail.

Ai turned around and shot an annoyed look at her, but gave in. "I guess I can go, but I have to bring my…uh…my brother."

"Cool, this'll be fun!" Rina exclaimed.

"Idiots," Eva muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p><em>Present Time<em>

* * *

><p>Rina showed up almost ten minutes late, dressed cutely in a frilly dress that made Kumiko look sloppy by comparison in her shorts, cheap sneakers, and light unzipped windbreaker.<p>

"Kumiko-chan!"

Kumiko cocked an eyebrow as she looked at the other girl. "Hey. I thought we were going to a Karaoke place?" she said. She hoped Rina would understand her real question: Why was Rina dressed up to go out on a date?

"Hehe," she said, obviously a little embarrassed. "W-well...um...Ai-chan's bringing her brother, right?"

Kumiko sighed and shook her head. Rina was obviously trying to deflect her attention. Well, whatever. The sooner this was over, the better.

Rina sat down beside her, and they found themselves locked into an awkward silence.

"So..." Kumiko said after a moment in an attempt to lighten the mood. "The weather..."

"Yeah! It's been so hot during the day lately," Rina said.

~silence~

Luckily, Ai chose that moment to appear, dragging one of the biggest people Kumiko had ever seen behind her. The strange man was dressed rather conspicuously in a long gray coat and the sort of hat adventuring archaeologists tended to wear. Rina shot up off the bench and had crossed half the distance to Ai and her 'brother' before Kumiko realized she had even moved. She sighed and stood up as well, taking the time to pick up her bag and dust off the back of her shorts before she set off to join them.

By the time Kumiko reached them, Rina was chattering away at Ai as if she had a world of information to share, but Kumiko's attention was all on the tall man, supposedly Ai's brother.

"So, who is this?" Kumiko asked when Rina stopped talking to come up for air.

"Ah…he's my brother," Ai replied, shaking off Rina. "His name is, ah…Robert! Say hello, Robert!" she said, turning to him.

The man was over seven feet tall, and wore quite a bit of clothing for the beginning of summer. The brown fedora on his head was a bit odd as well. Kumiko watched, a little taken aback, as he looked first her, then Rina up and down. "Greetings. I am Robert." he said in a near-monotone.

Kumiko nodded at him awkwardly. "Mori Kumiko." Something was really, really strange here.

Rina, on the other hand, positively glowed. "I'm Sasaki Rina, wow, you're so tall! And your hair, it's so light! Are you from America?" she asked, practically gleaming.

"Yeah, he's from America," Ai said quickly. "He's really my stepbrother, and I'm supposed to show him how people live here in Japan."

"Ooooh~ How old are you?" Rina asked, prying for information.

"Robert-nii-san is 18!" Ai shouted before he could answer. "He doesn't know a lot of Japanese, so you'll have to forgive him if he doesn't talk much or says something weird," she added.

Kumiko and Rina nodded, and then Rina attached herself to Ai again and lead the way toward the karaoke place.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching their room, the three teenage girls and the big…'American' entered and made themselves comfortable. 'Robert's presence seemed to fill the room, so things got awkward quickly. After a few moments of Rina hanging all over Ai while trying to get her input on what song she should sing and Ai looking quite confused, Kumiko decided she had had enough, snatched away the song book, pushed some random buttons, and shoved the microphone into Rina's hands.<p>

"Okay, you're first."

Ai nodded, visibly relieved, but Rina protested. "What about Robert-san? Doesn't he get a turn? I want to hear how someone from America sings!"

Kumiko sighed and rubbed her forehead. 'I'm gonna _kill_ Ono for getting me into this...!' She had known Rina was sort of dense, but this bordered on flat out _stupidity_. Then again, they had two robots in their class and no one else seemed to have noticed, so...

"Eh…" Ai looked at 'Robert', a calculating look on her face. "Ok, Robert-nii-san will go after Kumiko-san." She looked at him for confirmation or denial, but he made neither sound nor movement.

When they finally got around to singing, Rina was spectacular, of course. "Of course," Rina said, doing a little dance as she finished her song.

Ai did fairly well; her voice was strong, and she was quite skilled in matching the sound of the original singer.

When it was her turn, Kumiko, having never done karaoke before, swallowed her nervousness, picked an easy song, and did…tolerably well, and somehow managed to hide her embarrassment. She just wasn't used to this sort of thing. Or good at it. 'Can't forget that part,' she thought bitterly. Rina was a great singer, and Ai, while she couldn't put anywhere near as much life into her singing as Rina did, was much better than average. Kumiko knew her own effort had been, at best, adequate. It hurt her pride; but then again, her own skills tended to lay in other areas altogether.

Finally came 'Robert's turn. Kumiko was curious, but kept her silence as she chose a song for him. Smirking a bit, she chose a perky, upbeat pop song from some girl group she had heard some of the others talking about in class. 'Robert' matched the sound of their voices (several octaves lower, of course), ultimately running through the song with 100% perfection.

"W-wow," Rina said, pleasantly surprised. "Here, try another one," she said as she chose another song, this one by an obscure Japanese enka band. He performed that one perfectly as well while the girls marveled over his vocal skills. They switched between different genres, even going into foreign music, like American blues or French pop. 'Robert' did all of it to perfection.

* * *

><p>When they finally ran out of time, the three girls exited the karaoke place in awe, while 'Robert' followed along behind the group.<p>

Rina wanted to stop for ice cream at a nearby ice cream stand and Kumiko didn't really mind, so she didn't say anything; rather, she took a moment to look at 'Robert' while Ai and Rina left to stand in line. He was definitely huge. Yup. She yawned and checked the time on her cell phone. It wasn't as if she had anywhere in particular she needed to be, but this was rapidly becoming even more dull than she had imagined. She glanced over at Rina, who was hovering around Ai, chattering away all the while. How could Ai stand it...? It wasn't as if she hated Rina or anything, but the girl could be incredibly annoying, the way she flitted around like a hyperactive hummingbird.

Kumiko sighed again. 'Robert' was silent. She looked up at the sky and began scanning the puffy white clouds, searching for shapes.

"..."

She was startled out of her reverie when she heard Rina call out. "Kumiko-chan! What flavor do you want?"

Kumiko shook her head to clear it and looked back at the Rina and Ai, who were now at the head of the line. "Rocky Road," she called back. Rina nodded smartly and turned back to the vendor, talking excitedly. Kumiko turned her attention back to the clouds.

* * *

><p>"Heeeh, I didn't know you liked Rocky Road, Kumiko-chan," Rina said between licks on her strawberry ice cream cone.<p>

"'S my favorite," Kumiko replied idly. She had always liked rocky road, even when she had been a kid back in America. Her friends in the agency had always been amused at her love of the ice cream flavor and her tendency to spend the last of her allowance on a bucket of it, even at the expense of ammo or other supplies. She took another lick and paused for a moment, thinking about them. Were they all okay? She hadn't heard from any of them since she had gone deep undercover. She knew Ciel would be okay at least; she had always been the most adaptable of the bunch... She shook her head to clear it yet again and found her gaze drifting back to Inoue Ai's 'brother', 'Robert'. What was _that_ all about? It was obvious what he was; who was Ai trying to kid? She heard an annoying voice and realized Rina was talking to her.

"Hmm?"

"I said isn't it so cool how Ai-chan's brother is so good at singing?" Rina said exuberantly. She smiled hugely at Kumiko. "Hehehe~"

Kumiko nodded and made a noise she hoped Rina would take as a 'yes', and focused on finishing her ice cream before it could drip all over her new windbreaker. Rina began regaling Ai with a story about the gymnastics contest she had almost won the year before. After a moment Kumiko tossed the last piece of the ice cream cone in her mouth, glanced at 'Robert' again, and got up to throw away the napkin she had used to keep her hands from getting sticky with melted ice cream. She noticed Rina quickly stand up, but was caught completely off guard when she grabbed her arm. "Wha-"

"Come to the bathroom with me~" Rina said as she dragged her away.

Ai just shot a worried look at 'Robert', who simply watched the pink haired girl kidnap Kumiko.

"He's cool, isn't he?" Rina asked as she checked herself in the mirror and did...something...with a makeup brush of some sort.

"Eh? I guess," Kumiko answered. She didn't use makeup herself; she had never really been interested. She only gave her reflection in the mirror a brief glance and looked at the doorway, but she felt awkward at the thought of leaving Rina alone in here when she obviously wanted to talk.

"Huhuhu~"

Uh-oh. When Rina laughed like that, she was usually planning something. "What are you laughing about?" Kumiko asked, suddenly wary.

"You like him, don't you?"

"Wha…!" Kumiko spluttered for a moment and looked at Rina as if she had grown a second head.

"Don't deny it, Mori-chan!" Rina exclaimed. "I saw you looking at him the whole time! You really like him!"

"Ah…I think you've made a mistake, Rina-san," Kumiko said with forced calm. Rina was out of her mind.

"You should go for it! He's perfect for you!"

"Rina-san—" _Definitely _out of her mind.

"Seriously. I'll cheer you on!"

"Rina-san—"

"Come on, let me fix you up a little," Rina said suddenly, grabbing her arm and dragging her in front of the mirror. "Hmm…you're really pretty. Okay, I can work with this~" she said in a singsong voice as she opened her makeup bag.

"Rina-san…!" Kumiko said, then spluttered when she turned her head and got a mouthful of blush for her troubles.

"Stop talking! You don't want me to mess this up, do you?" Rina demanded.

* * *

><p>When Rina finally exited the bathroom almost fifteen minutes later, she had to go back inside to drag Kumiko out. "Come on," she said as she dragged her over to 'Robert' and gave her a little push. "Go on."<p>

"Rina-san, I'm telling you, you've got the wrong idea," Kumiko tried yet again. Why wouldn't the idiot just _listen_ to her? For some reason Rina thought Kumiko was being shy! _Shy_! Ugh...she struggled to rein in her temper. It took a lot to make her mad, but Rina was pushing every button she had, and some she hadn't known about, too.

"You're still…you're right in front of him!" the pink haired girl protested in exasperation, giving Kumiko a look as if _she_ was the one doing something wrong.

"What's going on?" Ai asked in alarm.

"Huhuhu, come on, let's leave them alone," Rina said deviously as she zipped over to Ai's side and began trying to drag her away. Kumiko's frustration finally boiled over.

"Rina-san, you're wrong!" she finally shouted.

Rina, seeing all she had done for the girl quickly coming to nothing, let go of Ai as she rushed over and pushed Kumiko into 'Robert'.

"Wha…!"

"Just hug him! They do things like that in America, right?"

"Rina-san…!" Kumiko finally said as she pushed away from 'Robert' and almost knocked down the gymnast in so doing. "What is wrong with you?" 'Seriously! I almost hit you by reflex!' she thought to herself as she gave Rina her best reproachful look. Rina had no clue how close she had just come to having her windpipe crushed...!

"You like him, so you should let him know!" Rina said, looking as frustrated as Kumiko felt.

'Robert' simply stood still, watching the two girls argue.

Kumiko just stood there gaping at her for a moment before she regained her composure. "Rina you idiot! He's a robot!" Kumiko all but shouted, drawing a startled gasp from Ai-san and disapproving looks from passersby.

"Wha—a robot?" Rina said, blinking at her. She looked at 'Robert', then back to Kumiko, then back to 'Robert' again. "A robot... Oh…oh! I'm sorry, Kumiko-chan!"

Kumiko heaved a sigh and plopped down on a bench, dropping her head into her hands. 'Why me...?' "Is this why Ono-san wanted me to come today?" she said aloud. She was going to _kill_ that girl the next time she saw her. She could almost _see_ her laughing right now.

"Ono-san?" Rina asked.

"Mori-san, how did you know?" Inoue Ai asked worriedly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kumiko answered. "Just look at him." She didn't go into details like lifeforce or auras or anything like that, but it really should have been obvious. She sighed yet again and began massaging her forehead. She felt a migraine coming on. 'Stupid Ono, making me think it was something important. I shouldn't have bothered to pack any of my tools; what a waste of time.'

"Hmm, so you're…a robot?" Rina asked as she inspected 'Robert' more closely.

"Yeah, and his name's actually Tanaka-san," Ai said.

"Where did you get him?" Rina asked, poking the robot's arm experimentally. No reaction. Kumiko looked up, rolled her eyes, and resumed massaging her forehead.

"Don't do that. And I found him in the woods about a week ago," Ai said.

"…cool."

"Just...just kill me now," Kumiko said.

* * *

><p><strong>Mori Kumiko<strong>

Born - 1/1/1995

Height - 5'4"

Astronomy Club

Likes – Charms, sappy movies

Dislikes – cold weather

Roommate – Kondo Kai

Little Known Facts – Her family died all at once in a mysterious manner; she refuses to talk about it

Titles: Student Number 25

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Mori Kumiko; as soon as I connected that first and last name, I knew she was an active, tomboyish sort of girl. And, this being a Negima fanfiction, that sort of personality means you're not an average character. As you can tell by reading this chapter, Kumiko's got a few secrets of her own. She's serious, intelligent, and well trained, though still naïve. Physically, she's somewhat more stocky and stronger looking than most of the other girls and doesn't really display her femininity, though she is actually quite attractive in an active sort of way. She's friendly enough, so most of the other students like her. She's also the lucky sort that doesn't need makeup to look pretty. But in any case, she'll play a bigger part during the festival arc and after, so keep an eye out for her!

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 21 (Reiko's House 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 6

Friendship - 6

Crush - 5

Love - 3

H – 19 (Gah! No no no! Bad Kumiko, _bad_! Don't think about the teacher like that!)

Kamo's Comments: "Oh-ho~ What have we here? Check out that 'H' stat! It seems like this girl's got quite an imagination! Fufufu~"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 16

Courage - 14

Attractiveness - 15

Intelligence - 19

Athleticism - 16

Instincts - 15

Anger - 7

Loner - 14

Outgoing - 12

Popularity – 13

Attributes – Active girl, tomboy, calm personality, sloppy ponytail when training, blue eyes

Haruna's Comments: "This girl's scary smart. She may not look like the intelligent sort, but don't let that fool you: the only other girls in the class that rival her intelligence are Suzuki Keiko and Rally-chan, who really doesn't count. She's great at sports, quite pretty, and has a good personality too; quite a catch, Negi-kun."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Upperclassman from the Track Club: "We've tried to get her to join, but she's not interested. It's a shame; she'd be great for mid-length races.

Akashi Yuuna: "Mori-chan, right? Heh, I like her. She's got guts! Almost reminds me of me, when I was that age. But not as cute, right? Right? Hey, right?"

Kagurazaka Asuna: "Mori Kumiko...Huh, I never thought about it before. Yeah, now that I think about it, she'd make a great ally with the right training. She's very quick, and her instincts are good too. Yeah, she's definitely someone to watch."


	27. MTNC 26 Evangeline AK McDowell

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 26 – Evangeline A.K. McDowell**

* * *

><p>1) When she felt the power of the curse placed upon her by the Thousand Master Nagi Springfield become weak and then disappear all together, she almost couldn't believe it; after living with the curse for so many years, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be truly free. When Negi showed up grinning at her fifteen minutes later to finish up the curse removal, she didn't know whether to smack that goofy grin off his face or kiss him.<p>

2) Once freed from her curse, Eva took Chachazero, Chachamaru, and Rally with her and left Mahora before the week was out. And, with Chachamaru downloading guide books from the internet, Eva set out on a whirlwind tour of the world, where she had many adventures and suffered quite a few embarrassing incidents which will not be recounted here, including the utterly humiliating incident with the piranha in the Amazon or the incident with the poor confused woman in the Netherlands whose daughter had run away.

3) When Eva returned to Mahora, everyone greeted her warmly in spite of her attempts to make it seem as if she only returned because Earth was boring. In reality, she had grown lonely, and began to miss Negi and the girls she had been training. While she rather rudely brushed off the welcomes, inside she felt a little warm and squishy; she was quite embarrassed.

4) Needless to say, Misa's attempt to turn Eva's bedroom into her own little love nest while Eva was away did not go over well when Eva returned. At all.

5) When everyone welcomed her back with open arms, Eva had been very surprised though she hadn't shown it. What surprised her more than that, however, was how much Misa's skills and power had grown while she was away. After Misa's first blast had left her slightly singed, she had grinned a devilish grin and set about wringing every last bit of skill and power out of the poor girl until she was satisfied she had seen everything. When Misa was left lying on the ruined training field, gasping for breath, Eva had grinned again and, for perhaps the first time in her life, sincerely congratulated someone on their improvement. Then she had called in Konoka before her star pupil could bleed to death and afterward had surreptitiously steered clear of Madoka for a few days.

6) Eva wasn't a bad person, really. It wasn't as if she repeatedly beat the girls she trained to within an inch of their lives out of any sort of meanness. Usually. According to her, the purpose of it was more so that when the same thing happened in a real fight, as it inevitably happened to everyone sooner or later, they wouldn't panic. Mostly. Sometimes she just did it because it was fun.

7) While Eva loves to help Negi test out his multitude of unique spells and tactics, she refuses to actually help him develop the theory behind them. It's so much more fun for her to face him without knowing what's coming, not to mention it helps to keep her sharp.

8) Eva does not hate her old classmates from Negi's class. She may say they're a bunch of weaklings, she may refuse to admit she has ever seen them as anything but cannon fodder; but when it comes down to it, she's grown so fond of each and every one of them that if she knew one of them was in _real_ danger, she'd at the very least try to swoop in and save them.

9) Despite what she may say, Eva doesn't hate the new class either. Sure, several of them annoy her, but even Sasaki Rina can't manage to bring out much more than mild annoyance in her. Due to six years of Negi's influence (plus resort time), instead of seeing a bunch of mindless sheep to be preyed upon or ignored, she can't help but look for potential. Sometimes she thinks she might be going soft, but she has to admit that it feels really good to see someone she's trained up from a useless weakling put up a good fight against a dragon or a demon. Sometimes she secretly blames Negi for this and pines for the ruthless vampire she used to be, but she has to admit, even to herself, that this whole training thing is actually kind of fun.

10) In Eva's opinion, Negi had long ago surpassed Nagi as a mage; power levels aside, Negi was much more intelligent, much more inventive, and much more mature. As a person, though, while Negi resembled Nagi more and more every day and made a decent substitute at times, he was not Nagi; Eva never allowed herself to act on her weaknesses relating to the man, and though she hoped Negi didn't know the true extent of her feelings toward Nagi, she had a sneaking suspicion that he did. She would never admit it aloud, but she respected him for the fact that he never mentioned it.

* * *

><p><strong>Evangeline A.K. McDowell<strong>

Born - ?

Height - 4'3"

Tea Ceremony Club

Likes – Go, interesting people

Dislikes – Stupid people, you

Little Known Facts – She dislikes you and wishes for you to die.

Titles: Stupid Number 26, The Dark Evangel, etc. etc. etc., That Cute Little Loli Goth Foreign Girl

Close Friends: Few

Enemies: Many

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Heh, it's Eva. What else do you need to know?

Appearances: Chapter 1 (New Beginnings Part 1)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 18

Sisterly - 8

Friendship - 8

Crush - 3

Love - 2

H - 20

Kamo's Comments: *sly grin* "Motherly love, or overwhelming lust? Fufufu—Erk. Hey, ah, wait Eva-san, what are you going to do with that? Evangeline? Eva-san? Come on, we're friends, right? Right? Eva-sama?"

* * *

><p><strong><span>Haruna's Stat Chart<span>**

Friendliness - ?

Courage - ?

Attractiveness - ?

Intelligence - ?

Athleticism - ?

Instincts - ?

Anger - ?

Loner - ?

Outgoing - ?

Popularity – ?

Attributes – Short, blonde, long hair, foreigner, loli goth, plays dressup, little girl who tries to act mature

Haruna's Comments: "Um...I was told that it would be good for my health to not divulge any of the information I was able to collect, so..." *sweatdrop* "Sorry, Negi-kun."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Entire 1st year class: "Waaa~how cute! She's so little, but she tries to act like an adult!"

Anonymous 1st year girl: "Ooo~ I wanna take her home with me~"

Sakai Reiko: "Eva? Why are you asking me? It's best to stay away from her if you don't want to die."


	28. MTNC 27 Kondo Kai

**Notes: **This one is rated T for violence**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Meet the New Class – Student Number 27 – Kondo Kai<strong>

* * *

><p>"Mommy?" the little white-haired girl said nervously as her mother rushed into the room. Her mother didn't respond; rather, she yanked a worn suitcase out from under the bed and upended its contents on the floor.<p>

"Mommy? What's going on? Where's daddy?" Her parents had gone out together earlier.

"Not now honey. Go look under mommy and daddy's bed and get that black metal box, okay sweetie?" the woman replied as she pulled open a drawer and took up an armful of the neatly folded clothing inside.

When the girl returned a moment later with the small black box clutched to her chest, her mother had stuffed the suitcase to capacity and was struggling to latch it shut. "Mommy? What's wrong? Are we leaving again?"

A car screeched to a halt outside, and the little girl wandered to the window to see what was going on, but her mother snatched her away from the window and took the box from her.

"J-just be a good girl for a minute, hon. We're going on a trip," she said as she opened the box and began stuffing the bills it contained into her pockets. She gave the little girl several handfuls as well. "Put them in your pockets, okay? And don't tell anyone you have them. Put on your hat, sweetie."

The little girl looked up at her mother, her eyes wide and worried as she put on her favorite beret. "Yes, mama."

They could hear noises downstairs; people running up and down the hallways, mysterious banging sounds and the occasional startled shout or scream. Someone ran past out in the hallway and her mother froze for an instant, then rushed to the window and looked out. "Okay baby, we're going outside. Do you want to go outside?"

The little girl nodded hesitantly as she clutched her most precious treasure, a faded teddy bear with a big blue bow around its neck. "Mommy? Why are you going out the window? You told me to never go out the window, you said it's dangerous..."

The woman paused halfway through to see if it was safe, then stepped out completely onto the fire escape and set the suitcase on the platform. "It's okay this time; mommy is with you. Come on, quickly now!" She held out her hand.

The little girl hesitated at the window but, buoyed by the opportunity to do something that had previously been forbidden, she climbed out through the window and looked down over the safety railing around the fire escape platform. "Oooh, we're so high!"

"Yes dear," her mother said as she took up the suitcase and held out her hand. "Come along now, we're going down."

She let her mother lead her down until a sudden shout from above startled them both.

"Hey! There she is, on the fire escape! The abomination's with her!"

Her mother wasted no time in panic or denial; instead, she grabbed her daughter around the waist with her free arm hard enough to make her shout, climbed over the rail, and jumped the last thirty feet to the ground. She landed solidly on her feet, cracks radiating out in the pavement as she hit, and took off at a fast run, her daughter clinging to her with inhuman strength born more from the panicked, nervous look in her mother's eyes than the strange situation in which she now found herself.

* * *

><p>Somehow, hiding among the crowds, they made it out of the city without being caught, and soon found themselves walking along a deserted road in the countryside, farmers' fields and distant mountains all that could be seen.<p>

They had walked for hours, and the little girl was starting to get hungry. "Mama? Where are we going? I'm hungry..."

"We're going to visit..." The woman trailed off mid sentence as she ran through their options in her head. They were in a bad way; her husband was already captured or...or dead, and she had only the contents of the suitcase she was carrying and the remains of her life savings currently stuffed into the pockets of her pants and shirt. It couldn't be more than a few thousand US dollars, though her daughter probably carried just as much. It would be enough to buy passage on a ship, but what sort of ship would take on someone like her, a desperate woman on the run with a six year old child?

She thought about people she knew, people she could trust, places she could hide...there was little in this country she could rely upon; someone who had known the truth about them had turned traitor. The whole underground network was suspect; they had nowhere to turn. The first thing to do, as far as she could tell, would be to get out of the country. The Koreas, Mongolia, and beyond them Russia was what they would find to the north, while Vietnam, Laos, and other places were to the south. The highest magical authority in Russia had declared its distrust of oni, so north was out of the question. They had come up through Vietnam and their pursuers knew it, so that was out as well. They were nearly on the East coast, so leaving the country by heading west would take far, far too long. The only option left, as far as she could tell, was northeast over the sea, to Japan.

In Japan, they would find numerous magic associations. There were a lot of oni in Kyoto, she knew. They might be able to slip in and make a new place for themselves, unnoticed by the authorities or those chasing them...

"We're going to Japan," she said with a surety she hadn't thought possible only a moment before.

"Japan?" the little girl said, wrinkling her forehead. "With the ninjas?"

The woman couldn't help but smile. "Yes, ninjas and samurai and geishas, not to mention godzilla and mothra and giant robots that fight for the fate of the world!" she said, taking cues from the shows her daughter and husband liked to watch. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of her husband and she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he was now dead. _Those people_ wouldn't have let him live, not after they found out he didn't know where she had taken their daughter. She thought back bitterly to the way he had pushed her away and taken off running in order to catch their attention long enough for her to escape and go back to their cheap apartment for their daughter.

"Will I get a new name again?"

The woman looked at the concerned expression on her daughter's face and nodded. "Yes, 'fraid so. Let's see, you can be...Kai. That sounds cool, doesn't it?" she asked.

The little girl scrunched her forehead up in thought again. "Kai? Kai, Kai. Kai Kai Kai. Hmmm...Kai is good," she finally said seriously, nodding. She jumped out in front of her mother, stopped walking, and spun on her heel to face her, holding out her hand. "Hi! I'm Kai! Who are you?"

"Me? Why, if you're the beautiful princess Kai, then I must be the wonderful queen...Midori!"

Kai laughed and started walking again. "Hehe, Midori is a funny name!"

"It is? Hmmm," her mother said, putting on a thoughtful expression as she rubbed her chin. "Then how about Yumi? No? Then how about Mai? Tatsuki? That's no good? How is Michiru then? Tsukasa? That's it, I'll be Tsukasa!"

Kai twirled around with her arms held out to the sides. "Hehehe, you're so funny mommy!"

Her mother couldn't help but smile desperately. She dearly wanted to cry for the child; already her poor sweet little daughter had adapted to this sort of life, and could find such joy even while running for her life.

* * *

><p>Booking passage on a smuggler's boat was a little daunting, but all it took was a broken arm or two once out at sea along with the promise of another wad of cash to make the crew leave them alone; they arrived in Japan with no further incident.<p>

Upon arrival in Japan, Kai's mother traded half their savings for Japanese yen, gave Kai about a hundred U.S. dollars' worth, then divided the remainder of the American money between herself and Kai, for use in emergencies. Kai understood it all well enough; she had been through it before. Just...every other time, her father had been there with them.

As the days wore on, Kai came to understand that her father wouldn't be coming back and she stopped asking her mother about it, since even a six year old child could see the pain on the oni woman's face whenever she mentioned him. A month passed, then two, and they found themselves living off the grid in Kyoto.

* * *

><p>The first time Kai saw a youkai, she didn't know what to think. The cat woman was very tall, and Kai knew she was coming before she could see her; something in the very air itself had seemed to resonate. Kai, not knowing any better, had run out onto the sidewalk from the small playground where her mother had left her to go and see what was making the air feel weird. She ran along the sidewalk and turned a corner, and there she was, a cat youkai looking at her curiously. Even though she was dressed like a regular human and had disguised her ears and tail, Kai knew exactly what she was. And by the way the woman looked at her, she knew exactly what Kai was as well. They stood looking at each other for a long, long moment before the youkai spoke.<p>

"...I don't recognize you," she said curiously. "Are you from one of the branch families?"

"B...branch families? What's that?"

"You aren't, are you...they would never let you wander around like this. Where is your master?"

Kai blinked and cocked her head to the side. "Master?"

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, and then the youkai woman was standing _right beside her_ and took her by the wrist.

"Come with me, I'll find out where you belong."

Kai tried to jerk away, but only succeeded in pulling the youkai woman off balance. "L-let go! Let go of me!" The youkai woman's grip on her wrist was like iron, but Kai was an oni and, even at six years old, was as strong and tough as a full grown man. "G-get away!" She took in a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs, startling the youkai woman enough to let go. Kai was off like a shot and found her frantic mother at the playground she had run from. She told her mother what had happened through frantic fits and starts, and they rushed home together to the small, dirty apartment they had only lived in for a short time.

* * *

><p>They lived in fear for six weeks after that, only going outside when absolutely necessary to get food or other necessities as their savings dwindled, until the day someone knocked on the door. Kai's mother went to the door and was about to look through the peephole when it was kicked open. She let out a startled scream as the cat youkai woman from before stepped into the apartment and gave the room a quick once over. She looked down at Kai, huddling in the corner, and finally settled on Kai's mother.<p>

"You are in danger here," she said. "There are strange men asking around about you. I don't know what you did, but..." she paused, looking back at Kai. "I don't think you two have done anything to merit what you would receive at their hands."

"What are you going to do with us?" Kai's mother asked helplessly. She was an oni, true, but the woman standing before her was a youkai, the traditional enemies of the oni, and a strong one at that.

"Me? Nothing. But...I will help you escape. My teacher would be disappointed in me if I didn't," she said, grinning crookedly as she glanced at Kai again. "I work with the Shinmeiryu; I am a member of their Guardian forces. Come with me, I can help you."

* * *

><p>The sun had set by the time they arrived at a secret branch location that served as the base of operations for the small unit the youkai woman commanded.<p>

The youkai woman opened the door and stepped inside, Kai and her mother following. Inside, they found two women seated at a table eating dinner. They looked up, alert and perfectly aware of what the newcomers were.

"Chiba, contact Mahora. Tell them to prepare for two refugees. Mizuhara, go out and watch for anyone suspicious," the youkai woman said as she swiftly walked through the room and opened a tall cupboard on the other side. She reached in and took out a katana, which she swiftly belted on.

Chiba and Mizuhara rushed to obey her orders, Mizuhara pausing only long enough to retrieve her own weapon from the cupboard before she, too, slipped outside.

Meanwhile, Kai and her mother stood in the center of the room, helplessly holding each other's hand.

"Are you gonna fight the scary guys?" Kai asked after a moment of watching the youkai woman gather various items. Her mother quickly shushed her.

"If necessary," the woman replied, not bothering to look up from the canned goods and other supplies she was stowing in a backpack. She hefted it experimentally and nodded, satisfied, then passed it to Kai's mother, who put it on hesitantly. "You two will be going to a city called Mahora; you should be safe there. At the very least they can make sure you will be well hidden if those men somehow follow you there."

"Please tell me, why are you doing this for us?" Kai's mother asked.

The woman paused, first aid kit in hand. "I have seen others hunted for what they are, and did nothing. I hope to make up, in some small way, for my past mistakes." She turned back to the backpack she was packing and put the first aid kit inside, then zipped it shut and gave it to Kai, who slipped it on without complaint. She smiled down at Kai for a moment, then looked up at her mother. "The wig isn't a good idea; you should use hair dye to hide the color of her hair and contacts for her eyes. Even with hair dye, the pink eyes are a dead giveaway. Everyone knows those old stories about the 'White Oni'. Some even believe them to be true."

* * *

><p>Kai's mother pulled her closer. Kai looked up at her mother, confused. She wanted to hear more about the White Oni... The weird cat lady was talking again.<p>

"We will go by car, since that will be harder to track. It should take about half a day if we travel quickly by little used roads. We can't trust the main roads." She knelt down so she could be at eye level with Kai. "Don't worry, I will make sure you're safe."

Kai nodded hesitantly and hid behind her mother.

* * *

><p>They were attacked before they even reached the car.<p>

The youkai woman swore viciously as her subordinates rushed to defend; she desperately wanted to join them, but she couldn't leave Kai and her mother to fend for themselves. They hurried to the car, where a large shape rose out of the darkness and lunged at them. The youkai woman drew her sword and sliced the shape in one quick movement, moving past even as it fell, uttering a strangled cry. She made sure Kai and her mother were inside, then started the car and quickly drove away, taking a roundabout route away from the site of the ambush in order to throw off pursuit. Thirty minutes later with no sign of anyone following, she finally allowed herself to relax and settled in for a long drive.

* * *

><p>They made it to within sight of Mahora before their luck ran out. The youkai woman crested a hill to reveal two cars pulled across the road, blocking both lanes. She hit the brakes, but there was no time to stop and the car plowed into the roadblock at fifty miles an hour, sending it into a barrel roll.<p>

* * *

><p>The men watched as the mangled remains of the car came to a stop fifty feet away.<p>

"Are they dead, I wonder...?"

"That would certainly make things easier," another man said as he drew a short, curved sword and tested the edge with his thumb.

A third man watched the wrecked car for a moment and swore.

The other two glanced at him. "What happened? Did you see something?"

"They're still alive," the third man, who seemed to be the leader, said as he drew his own sword, a beautifully crafted katana. "You, come with me. You," he said, looking at the second man, "contact the elder, tell him we've found them and to send backup to the city of Mahora immediately. If we don't stop them before they enter the wards, this may get ugly."

The two men spread out as they approached the car. Now that they were close enough, they could definitely see signs of life from within the wreckage. They had approached to within ten feet when one of the rear doors was kicked open and an oni woman crawled out, blood pouring from a cut on her forehead and obscuring her otherwise attractive face. Both of them recognized her of course, even with the blood; she was the one who had spawned the abomination.

The first man sneered and spat on the ground. "Disgusting." He stepped forward and grabbed her by one hand and jerked her away from the car, ignoring her feeble protests. She was covered in scrapes and bruises and blood from the wreck as she lay there where they had dragged her, too weak and hurt to fight back as the leader moved to stand beside her. "Sit her up," he instructed the other man, who pulled the protesting woman upright so she was more or less kneeling on the road. He nodded at his underling, who backed away, and in one swift, clean cut, chopped her head off.

A child began wailing, and they knew the abomination had survived the wreck. They were headed back toward the car when the whole thing lurched once, twice, three times, and then the driver side door broke off and clattered against the pavement as the youkai woman crawled out on hands and knees, dragging a sheathed sword behind her.

"The guardian's still alive," the first man said worriedly under his breath. His boss simply drew his katana and moved to stand fifteen feet away away from the woman, who climbed slowly and painfully to her feet.

"Get the abomination, make sure it's dead," the leader said to his underling.

"If you take one step toward that car, you won't even live long enough to regret it," the youkai woman growled, fury in her tone as she struggled to stay upright after such a rough end to their flight from Kyoto.

The leader motioned the man to go on anyway, but he hadn't taken more than a step or two when a dagger buried itself to the hilt in his forehead and he dropped to the ground, dead.

The leader darted forward to slice at her while she was off balance from the throw, but she easily slipped aside and returned his attack with one of her own that narrowly missed.

"Why are you protecting that abomination? It will bring destruction to the oni race," the man said as he tried to circle around.

"She is only a child, and that is only an old wives' tale! How could you kill others of your race so easily?" the youkai woman demanded.

"You know the legends! You youkai even have your own version! The white oni will bring destruction to the world! It is written!" he replied angrily as he attacked.

"_SHE IS ONLY A CHILD!_" the youkai woman shouted as she countered and pressed her attack.

* * *

><p>Kai cried as she crawled out of the car, clutching her teddy bear to her chest, heedless of the blood staining it or the fact that her hat had fallen off, revealing her stubby little oni horns to the world. Her mother had just been killed before her eyes! How could they do that? How could they want to hurt her mommy? Why? She didn't know and couldn't understand why they would do something so terrible. How <em>could<em> they? Her mommy was a really nice person!

She saw the youkai lady fighting with one of the mean people and watched, horrified, as the man batted aside the youkai lady's sword and closed in. The two struggled for the upper hand for a moment, then the youkai lady dipped low and threw the man to the ground. She shot a quick look at the car, saw Kai standing there, and screamed at her. "_Run_! Get to the world tree, you can see it from here!" she shouted, pointing at the giant tree that had been the first part of Mahora they had seen while driving. "Someone who can help you is waiting there!"

Kai didn't need to be told twice; she turned and ran as hard as she could toward the city, crying as she went. She passed the buildings on the outskirts and the people who had come outside, curious about what was causing such a commotion so early in the day. She entered the city itself and ran from street to street as the buildings grew taller and closer together, ignoring anyone who called out to her. On and on she went, through twisting streets and open plazas, until suddenly a wide plaza opened before her, and in the center, the biggest tree she had ever seen. And, standing in front of that tree, a man in a suit and glasses, smoking a cigarette as he checked his watch.

* * *

><p>Takahata looked up sharply as a little white haired girl ran out of a side street into the plaza and headed straight toward him, but his gaze shot right past her to focus on the two men in black suits chasing her. He recognized the little girl as an oni almost immediately; there was just something <em>different<em> about them when compared with normal humans, something about the way they moved, that gave them away if one knew what to look for. He walked calmly forward, gave the girl a confident smile and pointed at the tree as she ran past, and put his hands in his pockets as the two suited men slowed to a stop to face him.

"Get out of our way!" one of the men demanded.

Takahata took a long drag on his cigarette, held the smoke in for a moment, and slowly let it out in a thin stream. He dropped the cigarette to the pavement and crushed it, and only then deigned to speak to the two outsiders. "So it takes two men to chase down a little girl, does it?" he asked, his tone level and dangerous.

"She's a monster, an _abomination!_" the man who had spoken earlier said, almost spitting the last word.

Takahata cocked his eyebrow as he looked at them. "Looks like a scared little girl to me."

The second man, obviously the more level-headed of the two, put his hand up, silencing the first man before he he could make the situation any worse than it already was. He turned to Takahata and took on a reasonable tone. "We have reason to believe she is going to decimate the oni race. As you may imagine, we would like to avoid that."

Takahata looked at him coolly. "Oh? And if I were to step aside, how would you do that?"

The second man gave him a grim look. "We will execute her."

Takahata sighed and put his hands back in his pockets. "I see. I'm afraid that I have reason to believe she can be saved from that fate. I've seen it happen before, time after time," he said, smiling absently as his gaze drifted off into the distance for a moment. It snapped back the instant the angry man shifted his weight to draw his weapon. Iaiken took care of the rest.

* * *

><p>Kai pulled her knees up to her chin beside the big tree and shut her eyes tight, her young mind still reeling over the horrible idea that her mommy, whom she loved very much and who had given her her favorite teddy bear, was dead. The very idea was just unreal; they had almost been safe and then suddenly-<p>

_-the thump as the head hit the road was shockingly quiet for such a horrific scene; the body remained kneeling for a moment before slowly toppling forward-_

-suddenly her mommy just wasn't there anymore. And now...what? The youkai lady was nice, but she was probably dead too. She had said to go to the big tree, where someone would be waiting to protect her, but the man she found there had looked like a normal person, not someone that could help her...

The fight was brief, lasting mere seconds, the last sound being a strangled cry and the sound of a body hitting the ground. A moment later, she heard footsteps approach, and hunched lower.

"Where are the others?" a kind voice asked.

Kai hesitated for a moment, then opened one eye to peek at the man standing there. She quickly looked out at the plaza where the fight had taken place and saw the two scary men lying motionless on the ground. She looked up at the kind man, her eyes went wide, and her bottom lip started to quiver.

He knelt down beside her and she wailed and clamped onto his arm, burying her face into his sleeve as she cried her heart out, her bloodstained teddy bear held forgotten in her hand. He gently patted her head, taking care not to touch her sensitive oni horns, and she clung tighter to his arm.

A moment later, another set of footsteps approached and she looked up to see the youkai lady limping toward them, holding her left arm awkwardly. She paused a short distance away and nodded.

"Takahata."

The man smiled absently. "Ikari."

"I lost the other refugee in an ambush. Can you take custody of the girl?"

Takahata nodded. "We can find a place for her here; don't worry."

Kai looked from the youkai lady to the nice man and back.

Ikari looked at her and smiled helplessly. "I'm sorry, Kai." She moved to sit on the other side of the little girl, who quickly latched on her as well.

Takahata lit another cigarette, and the trio sat in relative silence as the people in charge of that sort of thing took the outsiders into custody and quickly removed any signs of combat.

"You people have become very efficient," Ikari said after a moment.

Takahata nodded. "We have to be."

"I need to get back to Kyoto; I left my people in combat."

Takahata nodded and helped separate the now-dozing Kai from Ikari's sleeve. "Good luck, and give Eishun my best," he said idly as he scooped Kai up as smoothly as any veteran parent had ever done. "I'll make sure she's safe."

Ikari nodded and turned away, and Takahata set off for the office of the headmaster of the girls' middle school. The old man might hold an odd post, but he carried far more weight in Mahora than anyone else. The old man had a soft spot for orphans, and had provided a home for more than one in the past. Takahata glanced down at Kai as she slept in his arms. Yes, this one would definitely need the support Mahora could provide. With any luck, she might even grow up to be a happy, well adjusted girl. In any case, she wouldn't be the one to lead the oni race to extinction; that much was easy to guard against.

* * *

><p><strong>Kondo Kai<strong>

Born - 12/5/1994

Height - 5'5"

Rock Club, Kendo Club

Likes – Music, drums, bubble wrap

Dislikes – Greedy people, cats

Roommate – Mori Kumiko

Little Known Facts – She has terrible eyesight due to albinism, and wears green contacts to hide her pink eyes.

Titles: Student Number 27, The White Oni, The Abomination

Close Friends: Kobayashi Ayumi, Watanabe Miyako, Kara Stride, Abe Aiko (after the events in Kyoto)

Enemies: The mysterious organization of oni who call her The Abomination

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Kondo Kai, Sakurako's evil clone. Kai is the drummer for Ayumi's band; she uses a (mostly) Pearl brand drum kit put together from pieces she found in pawn shops and other disreputable places. As far as characters go, Kai is one of those who came into being in one piece, without needing many adjustments. Her appearance was mostly inspired by the character of Enju, the leader of a group of oni in the anime Wagaya no Oinara-sama, or Our House's Fox Deity, if you prefer the English name. You can find a picture of Enju on the website Anidb dot net if you're curious, and a (very) badly sketched picture of Kai herself in the Scraps section of my gallery on Deviantart, where I use the same screenname I use here. Being an oni, Kai is incredibly strong and tough, and has to be careful to keep from breaking things or accidentally hurting someone. Physically, she's of average height, with pale white hair that is usually dyed yellow or red, and green contacts to hide the fact that her eyes are pink. Due to her albinism, her eyesight is terrible. She's quite quirky and offbeat, and tends to wear a beret everywhere to hide her oni horns, which she keeps safely hidden, wrapped up in two balls of hair in a hairstyle much like Enju's. She is quite attractive and has unusually long legs for a girl in Japan, which she likes to show off by wearing shorts. She's an active and playful person, and enjoys playing pranks or just wandering around the city. She's considered to be quite cool and kind to others who are younger than her. Because of this, a lot of younger students look up to her, and a lot of teachers approve of her actions, though not her grades, which are usually average and often bad. She talks a lot and has a lot of shallow friends, but being talkative does not mean you are being open, and she finds she has a hard time trusting anyone, even the people she considers to be her best friends.

Appearances: First Appearance- Chapter 7 (Club Visits), Chapter 10 (Kyoto 2)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 12

Friendship - 9

Crush - 7

Love - 1

H - 3

Kamo's Comments: "Looks like she needs a good friend...do the right thing, aniki."

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 13

Courage - 9

Attractiveness - 16

Intelligence - 13

Athleticism - 9

Instincts - 19

Anger - 11

Loner - 10

Outgoing - 12

Popularity – 15

Attributes – pretty, oni, albino, legs, drummer, talkative, prankster

Haruna's Comments: "This girl's got a barrel of issues, but hey, she's an oni. What can you do? Anyway, she'd make a powerful ally, especially since she seems to be the target of some sort of oni prophecy about an albino oni. She needs protection, I think...heh~ go for it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Classmate Kobayashi Ayumi: "Kai's my best friend, so don't do anything you're going to regret, got it? _Got it_?" *deathglare*

Sakurazaki Setsuna: "Kondo-san is quite strong, even for an oni. She is, however, completely untrained... She needs to take her situation seriously and learn how to defend herself before she is attacked again. If someone gets hurt defending her, it will only make the situation worse."

P.E. Teacher Max Linell: "She doesn't take anything seriously, especially P.E. If I set the girls running laps, she's always walking by the start of her second lap."


	29. MTNC 28 Urashima Taro

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 28 – Urashima Taro**

* * *

><p>"Uuuuuuaaaahhhh," I yawned, stretching. Taro smirked as she sat on the front of the desk.<p>

"Heh, that was an amazing yawn, Possum," she said.

I couldn't help but grin back at her. "Just catching flies. So, whatcha wanna do today?"

Taro shrugged. "Dunno. We could play some games, or..." she trailed off, having already run out of ideas. Heh, good old Taro-kun. Her idea of fun consisted of two things: beating up troublemakers and playing videogames. Poor girl didn't even know how to act like a girl. But then, that's what _I'm_ for, right?

"Or we could go flirt with Negi," I said with a casual ease I didn't feel. I could tell by the weird horrified/hopeful look on Taro-kun's face that she was feeling pretty much the same way I was. _GAH_, just thinking about it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Okay Possum, that's enough of that! Straighten up! We can't go flirting with the teacher, right? Right! Even if he is only a couple years older and...and...

_Dammit!_

Okay girl, that's enough.

"I just picked up a copy of the first Street Fighter game yesterday," Taro said idly. "I couldn't test it in the shop, though. Want to see if it works?"

...well, it's not as if I have anything else I wanted to do. "Sure."

* * *

><p>The walk to the dorm room Taro lives in by herself is quiet. As usual, people get out of our way quickly. I can tell Taro's gotten so used to it she barely even notices anymore, but I can't help but be annoyed at it. As expected, we go right past the station. Taro doesn't like to use trains or anything like that; the way people stay away after she boards definitely bothers her, even if she won't admit it. As usual, I don't remark on it as we pass by, even though riding it would save a lot of time on the trip to the dorm.<p>

* * *

><p>I don't complain when Taro stops at a vending machine to get a drink; she's so awkward that it's just ridiculous. I can't help but feel bad for her when she's like this; I wonder...am I her only real friend?<p>

"Want some?" she asks, holding out the can of cola. I shrug and take the can from her and drain what's left of it in one go. Hey, I've gotta show off once in a while, right? Even if it does leave me coughing afterward, I can at the very least say I can chug half a can of coke. Taro laughs, like usual, and I grin a cocky grin at her, as always.

* * *

><p>We walk along, side by side, up the path to the dorm, and go inside. As usual, the few other girls in the lobby quickly look away; they're scared of Taro, and by extension, me. It's <em>really<em> annoying; they shouldn't treat her that way! If it was just me, they'd all say hello. But when Taro comes along everyone clams up and act like a bunch of idiots. So annoying.

The stairs are too narrow to go side by side, so I let Taro lead. We run into one of our classmates, Miyoshi Youko, on the stairs; she grins at us and goes on by. I wish I could feel better about her not being afraid of Taro, but I just can't bring myself to trust her at _all_. She hurt Taro's feelings with one of her pranks a while back and even though I tried to get Taro to demand an explanation, she never did. She's so awkward I just can't stand it...I ended up secretly inquiring (with the help of a baseball bat) about an apology from Youko myself behind Taro's back. She apologized when she saw I was serious, but we almost came to blows before she would promise not to do anything to Taro again. She doesn't know how fragile Taro is, no one does! They should all stop ostracizing her!

Eventually we made our way up to our floor, and Taro unlocked the door and let us into her dorm room. Inside, it's packed with boxes, and a dozen or so old videogame consoles are stacked up in the corner. She's the only one in this room, so she can do pretty much whatever she wants. I know most of the boxes have old games or game magazines in them, but she's got a stash of baseball bats in here too; she goes through a lot of those, what with going out at night to beat up criminals. It takes her a minute to find the correct console, but she's a pro at this and has it hooked up and started in moments. I pick up a controller and wait.

* * *

><p>"Oh wow these graphics are so bad!"<p>

"I know, right? And why is Ryu wearing ballerina slippers?" As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I can't help but burst into giggles. He looks ridiculous...! I can tell by the look on Taro's face that she's trying not to laugh herself, but it's a losing battle, and soon we're both rolling on the floor laughing.

It takes a few minutes to play ourselves out, but we soon find ourselves sprawled out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling while the cheesy music from the game plays. Taro doesn't have a carpet in her room so the floor is nice and cool.

"I like your room."

"Tch, you're the only one," Taro quickly replies. I can tell she's joking, but something in her voice that she probably doesn't even know is there makes her sound lonely, so I roll over on my stomach and look at her. She's looking up at the ceiling, the corners of her mouth quirked up the way they are when she's amused by something. She senses me watching her and turns her head to look at me. "What?"

"Staring contest."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Making faces isn't fair," she says. Ha! All's fair in love and war and staring contests.

"Okay," I say, pushing myself up. "You lost, so...punishment time!" She groans and rolls over onto her side away from me, so I scoot over and drag her upright.

"Ugh, fine...so what's my punishment?"

"Hmm...tell Negi you think he's hot!"

From the horrified look on Taro's face, I can tell my joke's gone too far. Needless to say, though, I snap a quick picture with my cell phone for posterity. Heh. She tries to grab the cell phone away, and we wrestle for it. I lost...eventually. But not before I sent the picture to my other email address! Muahaha!

* * *

><p>Later that night, up on the roof of the dorm, we sit back to back, looking up at the stars, which are only just visible here on clear nights; the lights of the city and campus usually hide them, so this is a rare chance, one that Taro has always taken as long as I've known her.<p>

I feel her shifting her position behind me, soI lean forward to give her enough space to lie down with her hands behind her head. I glance down at her and can't help but grin. "You're still wrapping them, aren't you? That's not healthy for a growing girl," I say, mimicking the headmaster. She swats at me, but I duck away, laughing, and lie down too. She'd be really pretty if she fixed herself up. One of the best in the class!

We lay there in silence for a long time; we understand each other, me and Taro. Better than either one of us understands anyone else, anyway. We don't really need to say anything in a situation like this; it's just...comfortable.

"Hey, Possum?" Taro says. Something in her voice doesn't sound right, so I push myself up a little and look over at her. She's got a little moisture in her eyes, almost hidden by the darkness of this moonless night, but I know better than to point it out.

"Yeah?"

"...thanks."

"Yeah." I don't know what she's thanking me for -spending time with her, being her friend, just being there, or something else- but she means it.

I lie down again, and that's that. Taro's so strange; I can't help but wonder what made her this way. Is this heartbroken little girl the same one I watched taking out a twenty-man street gang alone with a baseball bat two nights ago? It seems impossible, but...it's true. I want to help her, but I don't know how. So I just do what I can, which is...this. I know she needs _something_, but I don't know what, and that's always bothered me. I guess we'll figure it out eventually; but for now, this is fine. I'll just be there for her; we've been friends for so long now that I can't really imagine abandoning her, not at this point.

The door to the roof opens up and I looked back to see Shizuna standing there, looking annoyed.

"Er...hi, Shizuna-sensei!" I say. Taro sits up and looks around.

Shizuna gives us an odd sort of half-glare that doesn't hold any anger; she knows about Taro too. "Come on you two, it's past curfew, and Kara's worried that you haven't come back yet," she said, the last part directed at me; Kara is my roommate.

Taro is on her feet in an instant and has taken my hand to pull me up almost before I even realize she's moved. I grin crookedly at her and she smiles back, one of her rare ones, a _real_ one.

"Come on, let's go in," she says.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p><strong>Urashima Taro<strong>

Born - 4/18/1994

Height - 5'5"

Fighting Club

Likes – Kanako-nee, Keitaro-nii, Justice

Dislikes – Criminals, Lawbreakers

Roommate - none

Little Known Facts – Pretty attractive if she took the time to clean up

Titles: Student Number 28, The Street Sweeper

Close Friends: Possum Cade, Nakamura Sachiko, Mochizuki Kagami, Every Street Gang Member in Mahora (whenever someone new shows up looking for trouble)

Enemies: Every Street Gang Member in Mahora (when they're trying to act like street gangs)

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Urashima Taro, the girl with the boy's name. Of course, the joke is lost if the reader doesn't realize that a girl named Taro is like a boy named Sue, but that's a risk I'll have to take. Anyway...if you can't tell by this point, Taro is a distant cousin of Keitaro and Kanako from Akamatsu's earlier work Love Hina. Her mother died minutes after she was born, insisting she be named Taro and that she be given the turtle medallion she herself had carried since childhood. Taro's father is unknown, and since her mother died, she was shunted from house to house among the Urashimas, becoming more and more angry and troublesome as she went, until she spent some time with Keitaro and Kanako at the Hinata Inn. It was only for a short time and she was still very, very young, but Keitaro made a big impact on her and she changed for the better. She ended up spending a lot of time with Kanako, training and traveling around, and eventually ended up at Mahora, where she regularly beats up street gangs and troublemakers of every sort. She's a very up front sort of fighter who prefers to charge in and keep swinging until there's nothing left to swing at. As for the design aspects of her character, she sort of resembles Subaru from Nanoha Season 3 (that would be Strikers), only with black hair and less prone to happy smiling. She's very pretty but doesn't know how to act like a girl at all, so her beauty rarely shows through. If someone took the time to fix her up, she would easily rival her classmate Kara Stride in physical beauty.

Appearances: First Appearance: Chap 1 (New Beginnings 1)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly - 8

Friendship - 15

Crush - 16

Love - 13

H - 1

Kamo's Comments: "Aww, how cute. I bet her idea of flirting is smacking you around, aniki. Go for it, teach her how to love!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 10

Courage - 20

Attractiveness - 20

Intelligence - 14

Athleticism - 16

Instincts - 15

Anger - 20

Loner - 20

Outgoing - 8

Popularity – 2

Attributes – awkward, lonely girl, black hair, defensive, scared of relationships, kicks a lot, hand to hand combat, thought to be a bully

Haruna's Comments: "Wow, this one's got a temper...! She is, however, _freaking beautiful!_ Oh, and a good fighter, too. Give her a year of training and she'll have surpassed half your combat partners with ease. I'd go after her right away if I were you, Negi."

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Young Male Street Gang Member: "Oh! You mean Taro-kun!" *blushes* "She's amazing...did you hear about that thing with the biker gang that came after her? She beat up a hundred and fifty guys all by herself, and she was barely thirteen!"

Jailed Yakuza Enforcer: "Urashima Taro? Yeah, you want to stay away from that one; she's bad news."

Kagurazaka Asuna: "Taro-kun's my star pupil. Did you know she picked up the basics of using ki in combat by herself? She's got a great sense for that sort of thing...I can't wait to see how she grows."


	30. MTNC 29 Rally Wheeler

**Meet the New Class – Student Number 29 – Rally Wheeler**

* * *

><p>Dear Journal,<p>

Hello. I do not quite understand the concept of writing as if I am speaking to an inanimate object, but Hakase has told me to do this and Hakase is much more experienced in life than I am, so she must be correct in her estimation of the importance of such an odd action.

In any case, hello journal. As you may know, I have purchased you for five hundred yen at the small shop just outside of the middle school, where one may purchase pencils, pens, notebooks, and various other goods of that nature. For some reason, the stylized image of a cat on your cover attracted my attention. (There are several badly drawn doodles of what might possibly be a cat of some sort, or perhaps a four legged potato, following this sentence) I do not wish to write further of this subject, and will therefore record what has occurred today, as Hakase has told me this is the sort of thing one often writes in a journal.

5:00 a.m. - My internal alarm clock summoned me from sleep mode. Most annoying. Nevertheless, I have duties to attend in the mornings, so I rose from the bed in the room Eva-san has kindly provided for me in her residence. My stabilizers generally require fifteen to sixty minutes to warm up to proper operating temperatures, but as I have duties to attend to, I cannot wait the requisite amount of time. Therefore I moved to the closet, only tripping once, and opened the door. Today was a Thursday, so I put on the garment set designated 'Maid Outfit Number Three'; for some unknown reason, Eva-san requested quite vociferously for me to wear these garments three hundred and forty eight days ago, so I added it to the rotation.

5:20 a.m. - Clothing change completed; time to prepare breakfast and lunch for Eva-san. Onee-chan is, as expected, already present in the kitchen, and has started food production. I have much to learn before I can match her morning speed.

5:45 a.m. - Eva-san's lunch is completed in the manner she prefers, packed in the stylized shape of a young member of the Leporidae family. Now I must help Onee-chan prepare breakfast.

5:48 a.m. - Breakfast is ruined. Onee-chan chastised me greatly. Note: Do not add oil to frying pan placed over open flame when stabilizers are still running with insufficient power.

6:12 a.m. - Breakfast is ready. I must retrieve Eva-san.

6:18 a.m. - I placed Eva-san in her customary chair at the table. Note: Drool is running from the corner of Eva-san's mouth, and her eyes are distant and unfocused. Remember to speak with Hakase about this. Perhaps Eva-san needs her hydraulic fluids flushed.

6:22 a.m. - Onee-chan has dispensed some valuable information; it appears that I am not required to record every event in the journal. Onee-chan is wise; I must remember her words and record only events of importance.

11:38 a.m. - Saw a cat outside the window, but was unable to leave class and initiate contact.

4:48 p.m. - Saw a cat. Initiating contact.

4:57 p.m. - Petted the cat. The cat emanated a sound onee-chan calls 'purring'.

5:14 p.m. - Said goodbye to the cat.

5:15 p.m. - Petted the cat again.

5:19 p.m. - Onee-chan made me leave the cat. Goodbye, cat.

9 p.m. - Onee-chan sent me to bed. Good night, onee-chan, Eva-san, cat-san. Note: look for cat tomorrow; resume petting.

* * *

><p><strong>Rally Wheeler<strong>

Born – 4/18/1994 (official)

Height - 5'5"

Tea Ceremony Club

Likes – Chachamaru-nee-chan, making tea, cats

Dislikes – being in the spotlight

Roommate - N/A

Little Known Facts – She has secretly defended the school from vandals and thieves many times.

Titles: Student Number 29

Close Friends: Hakase, Chachamaru, Eva, Various Cats, every person in Mahora who holds any sort of parental or protective instinct

Enemies: None

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>: Rally Wheeler...Chachamaru's 'little sister', introduced in my story Still Waters 2: Another Turn, which can be found on this site. My intent with Rally was to introduce a little sister character for Chachamaru to take care of; I see Chachamaru as the sort of person who would be strict with a younger sibling, which I thought would be amusing to see. The problem is that this is a fanfiction and not a fan comic, so much of their interaction goes totally unnoticed. It's a shame; what's going on in my head is adorable. Physically, Rally inhabits a modified body originally built for Chachamaru; one which, incidentally, greatly resembles the character of Hisui from Tsukihime, only with pink hair and a less screwed up background. Sort of. While Chachamaru's current body is more of an all-around miscellaneous combat model, Rally's current body was built by Hakase with heavy artillery and anti-aircraft capabilities in mind; as such, she's carrying around more heavy weaponry every day than some small countries have in their entire arsenals. Incidentally, Hakase's personal favorite is the collapsible gatling gun with the attached pocket dimension (developed with assistance from Eva) for ammunition, though the prototype railgun she is working on is sure to give that gatling gun a run for its money when she finally works out the whole 'exploding' problem.

Appearances: First Appearance (In SW3; was introduced at the end of Still Waters 2)- Chapter 7 (Club Visits)

* * *

><p><strong>Kamo's Negi Love Chart<strong>

Motherly - 0

Sisterly – 18 (surpassed only by her sisterly love for Chachamaru)

Friendship - 16

Crush - 3

Love - 0

H - 0

Kamo's Comments: "She's...she's so pure...! Get her away, my soul is withering...!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haruna's Stat Chart<strong>

Friendliness - 14

Courage - 9

Attractiveness - 2

Intelligence - 19

Athleticism - 20

Instincts - 11

Anger - 1

Loner - 10

Outgoing - 7

Popularity – 10

Attributes – adorable, cute, shy, innocent, curious, pink hair

Haruna's Comments: "Oh...oh my God...! She's... she's so moe I think I'm going to have a stroke! I...I want to take her home with me and have a tea party! Kyaaa~" *grabs Rally and hugs her*

* * *

><p><strong>Comments From The Rest<strong>

Chachamaru: "If you bother my little sister, they will never find your body." *dead serious*

Haruna: *giggling heap on the floor* "Rally, Rally, Ra-Ra-Ra-Rally~ Kyaaa~she's-so-cute-I-could-just-_die_~!"

Hakase: "Huhuhu" *pushes up glasses so they reflect the light, hiding her eyes* "Now behold the _true power_ of my greatest creation..._the moe-moe death stare_!" *points at Rally, who looks confused and cocks her head to the side; everyone present collapses with cries of 'Kyaa~' and 'So cuuuuute!'*


End file.
